	Guardianship Services for Minors

Introduction

Administration and Management

Service Delivery Administration Standards

Service Standards

GSM 8: Support Services

The organization helps to arrange ongoing, individualized support services to promote the stability and success of the guardianship arrangement.

Interpretation: If an organization does not provide post-placement services directly, it documents attempts to make an appropriate referral.

Interpretation: The child’s extended family and other community members should be considered as valuable resources when arranging post-placement services, unless contraindicated.

Interpretation: When the case involves an Indian child, a representative from the tribe or a local Indian organization should be included in post-placement service planning. Support services offered by the tribe or a local Indian organization should be considered.

Research Note: In most states, support services provided through foster care are no longer provided once the guardianship has been finalized. Research suggests that this is a significant disincentive for caregivers who would otherwise consider a more permanent placement such as adoption or guardianship. For low-income families in particular, the loss of agency services can make guardianship financially impossible.

GSM 8.01

When the need for post-placement services is identified, the organization and service recipient explore available community-based services and jointly develop a plan that specifies steps for obtaining these services.

Interpretation: The decision to develop a post-placement service plan is based on the wishes of the child and his or her guardian.

GSM 8.02

Post-placement service plans must:

be responsive to the needs identified in the assessment;
offer a range of community-based services and resources;
outline plans for ongoing communication, visitation and shared activities with siblings that are not placed together;
be flexible to the changing needs of the child and guardian; and
explore the continued availability of services in the adult system.

GSM 8.03

The child and his or her guardian have access to needed post-placement services that are culturally relevant and include:

assessments;
information and referral;
educational services;
counseling, mental health, and crisis intervention services;
family preservation and stabilization services;
peer support;
respite services and out-of-home care;
child care; and
transportation.

Interpretation: In some situations it may be appropriate to include the birth parent in ongoing support services, unless contraindicated.

Research Note: Post-placement services help maintain the stability of guardianship placements. Increased levels of financial support and available support services are correlated with decreased rates of disruption.

GSM 8.04

Guardians of children with special needs receive information and/or referrals for the following post-placement support:

early childhood intervention services;
opportunities within the local school district;
specialized services for health, mental health, and substance use conditions;
education and vocational training;
advocacy training; and
personal advocates or legal counsel.

Research Note: Youth enrolled in special education programs within the public school system often maintain their eligibility for services beyond age 18. Through continuing education services, youth can receive assistance with vocational programming and other skill building support services.

GSM 8.05

The organization works with the child and their guardian to identify and locate family members who might reestablish relationships with the child.

Interpretation: The identification of family members should include possible successor guardians who could care for the child should the guardian be unable to care for the child in the future.

Research Note: The literature suggests that the identification of a successor guardian and a well thought out plan for removal leads to a smoother transition for youth. This is particularly important when the caregiver is an older adult.

GSM 8.06

Youth who plan to transition to independence receive information on:

educational opportunities;
training and vocational services;
safe housing options;
affordable community-based healthcare and counseling;
public or tribal benefits for which they may be eligible;
available resources to facilitate integration into their community; and
maintaining an ongoing relationship with their tribe or tribal community.

Interpretation: Housing options may include a full range from supported living to a fully independent living environment. When the case involves an Indian child, the organization should work with the tribe and the youth in transition to explore the risks and benefits of housing options within Indian country and prepare youth for this potential transition.

Research Note: Organizations should explore the definition of independence with youth to ensure that youth are transitioning into a living arrangement that meets their needs and honors their belief system and cultural values. Establishing strong interdependent relationships with a committed caregiver, extended family, and supportive community members can smooth the transition into adulthood and independence.

QUICK JUMP TO


	PURPOSE: Guardianship Services for Minors support the establishment of a court-appointed, long-term, living arrangement with a committed caregiver that ensures safety and increases stability and child well-being.

RELATED FILES


	SERVICE One or more organization-operated programs or activities that have a common general objective and deploy the organization's material and human resources in a planned and systematic manner. An organization that publicly promotes or identifies itself in writing as offering a service, is licensed to deliver a service, assigns personnel and/or space to a service, or allocates financial resources to a service is considered to offer that service.


	CAREGIVER The provider of physical, emotional, and social needs to another person, often dependent and unable to provide for his or her own needs. Caregiver is the generic term used for the direct service providers in Community Care and Support Services (CCS).


	FAMILY Two or more people who consider themselves family and who assume obligations, functions, and responsibilities generally essential to healthy family life. Child care and child socialization, income support, long-term care, and other caregiving are among the functions of family life. The definition of "family" will rest with an individual's indication of who plays a family member role, including current or former foster family, adoptive family, extended family members, fictive kin, or significant others. Organizations that believe family is the central constellation in a child's life, and that family attachments are of primary importance for human development, will strive to work with professional staff to develop a common understanding of "family."


	COMMUNITY A specific group of people living in the same locality and who may share a common culture, values, and norms. Communities can also be defined by race, religion, ethnicity, age, occupation, political status, tribal affiliation, interest in particular problems or outcomes, or other common bonds. The term "community" encompasses worksites, schools, tribes, residential neighborhoods, business districts, recreational areas, and health and human service sites.


	CASE A general term used to designate clients (including individuals, families, and groups) served by an organization for purposes of monitoring the provision of services. A foster care case is generally based on the placement of an individual child, although casework for the child may include services to the child's family. A child protective services case is based on an entire family household if a family assessment model is used; otherwise a case is defined as a child.


	INDIAN CHILD As defined in the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), "Any unmarried person who is under age eighteen and is either (a) a member of an Indian tribe or (b) eligible for membership in an Indian tribe and is the biological child of a member of an Indian tribe." For purposes of compliance with ICWA, the definition provided in the Act shall apply. For purposes of access to services and resources, other more inclusive definitions may apply (e.g. Indian Education Act, tribal definitions, etc.).


	INDIAN ORGANIZATION As defined in ICWA, "Any group, association, partnership, cooperation, or other legal entity owned or controlled by Indians, or a majority of whose members are Indians."


	PLANNING The process of specifying objectives, evaluating the means for their achievement, and exercising deliberate decision making about appropriate courses of action.


	RESEARCH For purposes of COA accreditation, all forms of internal or external research involving persons served except internal program evaluation and outcomes research, or educational projects performed by students and interns that are part of their professional training.


	SERVICE RECIPIENT The individuals, groups, organizations, or communities that use, receive, or benefit from programs and services. Service recipients can include consumers, patients, family members, legal guardians, advocates, public/private organizations, employers, and purchasers. All are regarded as significant stakeholders served in a variety of agencies and practice settings.


	SERVICE PLAN A written plan of action based on the assessment of consumer needs and strengths that identifies problems, sets goals, and describes a strategy for achieving those goals and engaging in joint problem solving with the consumer. Also known as a "treatment plan".


	ASSESSMENT An evaluation, which utilizes professional expertise and skills in the collection and analysis of data to understand and describe the nature of service needs of an individual, family, or group. Assessment, as in needs assessment, is also used to determine priorities of program planning and service development for the organization as a whole. See also DIAGNOSIS.


	OUT-OF-HOME CARE Services for persons living in environments outside of their usual households. Foster Care Services are considered to serve persons in out-of-home care.


	TRAINING Instruction so as to make fit, qualified, or proficient in a skill or body of knowledge.


	CRISIS INTERVENTION The immediate response to the acute needs of a person in crisis including referral to appropriate community resources, advocacy, support, or direct assistance.


	SPECIAL NEEDS A designation used in reference to conditions or characteristics of a person that reflect a need for special care, services, or treatment. When the term is used in the context of adoption services, special needs refers to conditions that make a child harder to place for adoption. This includes children who are members of sibling groups, older children, children with disabilities, children of certain racial /ethnic backgrounds, etc. When the term is used in the context of foster care it refers to the need for a higher degree of specialized case services and attention due to mental and physical disabilities. When the term is used in the context of out-of-school time services, a child or youth may have special physical, behavioral, medical, emotional, or cognitive needs that should be addressed or accommodated. The term is also used in other contexts. See also DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES.


	REFERRALS Resource suggestions provided to consumers to address problems or needs that are beyond the scope of the organization's mission.


	ADVOCACY An act performed with or on behalf of others through direct intervention, empowerment, or representation. Case advocacy refers to actions taken in relation to a particular individual consumer. Cause, social, or systems advocacy refers to actions taken in relation to a common issue affecting a group of persons.


	PROGRAM A system of services offered by an organization. For example, an organization providing a mental health service may offer several mental health programs to different populations, e.g., a mental health program for adolescent teens. The word "program" can be used interchangeably with the word "service" or to describe specific programs.


	ELIGIBILITY The degree to which an individual, family, group, or community meets the specific criteria and qualifications required to receive goods, benefits, or services.