Root Causes: Timely Exits to GUARDIANSHIP
What Are the Forces and Influences at Work?
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Funding.
Building on the success of state guardianship initiatives, new federal legislation enables states to use federal funding to offer guardianship to children who can not return home or be adopted. The new federal funding option can help states reduce their reliance on foster care, save administrative and court dollars associated with keeping children in foster care, and for those states with existing guardianship programs, redeploy guardianship dollars to shore up other services and supports that families need.
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Kinship care.
Federal and state governments require states to place children with relatives whenever possible when they can’t live with their own parents. Kinship care allows children to be in homes with adults who are familiar to them and to whom they already have an attachment.
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Licensing regulations.
Licensing regulations for foster parents can be difficult for relatives to meet. The new federal legislation requires relatives to be licensed and eligible for federal Title IV-E to benefit from the federal guardianship subsidy. Given this requirement, states will need to overcome existing barriers to licensing relatives.
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Guardianship subsidy.
Guardianship subsidies are a critical source of support for relatives who make a permanent commitment to the care of a child. Federal law requires states to offer subsidies that are no greater than what the child received while in foster care. Best practice suggests that states offer subsidies that are equal to what a child received while in foster care.
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Post permanency supports.
Some children who exit foster care to live with guardians, similar to those who are adopted, will need access to post permanency supports to ensure continued family stability.