April 2009Vol. 10, No. 3New Help for Kinship Caregivers
Grandparents and other relatives who provide care and foster homes for grandchildren or other family members are now eligible for an array of additional services and supports with the passage of new Federal legislation, P.L. 110-351, signed into law on October 7, 2008. A recent publication, New Help for Children Raised by Grandparents and Other Relatives: Questions and Answers About the Fostering Connections and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, presents an analysis, in question-and-answer format, of the many provisions that may benefit relative caregivers.
Chapters provide information on an array of topic areas, including:
- An overview of the Act
- Identification of and notice to grandparents and other relatives
- The Kinship Navigator Program and Family Connection Grants
- Subsidized guardianship and kinship guardianship assistance
- Maintaining sibling connections
- Educational stability for children
- Eligibility for Chafee Independent Living Services and Training
- Licensing caregivers' homes
- Training for caregivers and those working with children in the child welfare system
Primary authors of the publication are Beth Davis-Pratt of the Children's Defense Fund and Tiffany Conway of the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). The answers given represent the consensus of an array of supporting organizations in consultation with congressional staff. Where applicable, the answers also track guidance from the Program Instruction on the Guardianship Assistance Program issued by the Children's Bureau on February 18, 2010.
The publication is available on the CLASP website: