	Kinship Care Services

Introduction

Administration and Management

Service Delivery Administration Standards

Service Standards

KC 6: Homestudy and Placement Services

The organization identifies stable, nurturing kinship homes and places children with kin who can meet their need for a safe, healthy home.

Interpretation: An organization that has responsibility for placing an Indian child should work closely with the child's tribe to identify kin within the tribal community. Kin from all tribes to which the child has ties should be considered as placement options.

Research Note: The Safe and Timely Interstate Placement of Foster Children Act of 2006 (H.R.5403) requires that full faith and credit be given to any homestudy completed by another state or Indian tribe with respect to the placement of a child unless it is determined that placing the child on the basis of the contents of the report would be contrary to the child’s well-being.

NA The organization only provides informal kinship care services.

KC 6.01

The organization works with the child and parents to identify kin that can be a resource to the child.

KC 6.02

Homestudies are conducted prior to placement, or as soon as possible when the child is living with the caregiver, and are updated:

within 2 weeks of a significant change in home composition; and
at least once annually.

Interpretation: “Significant change” includes, and is not limited to:

individuals who move in or out of the home (note that criminal background checks are required of all adults residing in the home);
death or debilitating illness of a caregiver;
structural damage to the home due to fire, flood, or other natural disaster;
legal proceedings affecting the family such as eviction or divorce; and
loss of income.

Interpretation: Households meet applicable state or federal regulations regarding composition and structure, and the organization is flexible regarding requirements not related to the child’s health or safety (for example, number of bedrooms or size of the home).

KC 6.03

The assessment considers factors that may impact the ability of caregivers to provide care, protection, and experiences that promote healthy child development, including:

personal characteristics;
motivation and readiness for providing care;
family and marital functioning;
parenting skills and experiences;
physical and mental health; and
cultural sensitivity and a willingness to support the child's cultural ties; and
availability of formal and informal supports.

Interpretation: The homestudy assessment should include all adults and children living in the home, including the identification of roles and an assessment of each person’s ability to contribute positively to the child’s healthy development.

KC 6.04

Criminal background and child abuse registry checks are conducted for all adults in the home prior to placement, in accordance with applicable federal and state requirements.

KC 6.05

A regular assessment of each home verifies basic health and safety requirements are met, including:

appropriate sleeping arrangements;
adequate heat, light, water, refrigeration, cooking, and toilet facilities;
functional smoke detectors;
intact doors, steps, windows, and window guards where necessary;
no exposed wiring;
no rodent or insect infestation; and
walls and ceilings free of holes and lead paint.

KC 6.06

The child is placed with siblings whenever possible.

Interpretation: If a child is not placed in a manner consistent with the specified priorities, the reason is documented in the case record.

KC 6.07

The organization ensures a smooth transition between placements and minimizes the number of separations that a child experiences by:

requiring all parties to provide at least 14 days formal notice prior to any move;
avoiding cyclical placements;
responding proactively to challenges and conflicts associated with placement; and
assessing the need for placement changes and documenting the justification.

Interpretation: When the case involves an Indian child, the tribe should receive timely notification prior to a placement move.

KC 6.08

Kinship caregivers who transport children in their own vehicles:

use age-appropriate passenger restraint systems;
provide adequate passenger supervision, as required by statute or regulation;
properly maintain vehicles and obtain required registration and inspection;
provide the organization with annual validation of their driving records; and
provide the organization with regular validation of their licenses and appropriate insurance coverage.

Interpretation: Regarding element (e), this information should be provided as frequently as necessary, based on the amount of time licenses and insurance are valid. For example, if licenses are valid for two years, license validation can occur every two years. Regarding validation of appropriate insurance coverage, it is suggested that the organization maintain a copy of each caregiver's auto policy declaration.

Note: In some cases this standard may not be applicable to all kinship caregivers (e.g., if caregivers live in urban areas and utilize public transportation instead of private vehicles).

KC 6.09

Indian children are placed according to the placement preferences specified in the Indian Child Welfare Act, as applicable.

Research Note: The Indian Child Welfare Act requires that preference be given to placements with: (1) a member of the child’s extended family; and (2) other members of the child’s tribe. As evidence of compliance with the placement preferences specified in the Indian Child Welfare Act, a record of each placement must be maintained by the state in which the placement was made. These records are made available upon request of the United States Secretary of Interior or the Indian child’s tribe.

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	PURPOSE: Kinship Care Services maintain the family system as the primary source of care and preserve the continuity of care, culture, relationships, and environment essential for child safety and 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.


	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."


	CULTURE The customs, habits, values, skills, technology, beliefs, and religious, social, and political behaviors of a group of people in a specific period of time.


	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.).


	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.


	PARENTS Parents can include: birth, foster, kinship, and adoptive parents. Please see service standards for more specific information about use of this term.


	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).


	BACKGROUND CHECK The review of an individual's personal information typically performed by or at the request of an employer, which may include verification of educational credentials or employment experience, as well as an examination of the individual's criminal records, driving records, licensing records, and civil abuse or neglect history.


	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.


	CASE RECORD A written compilation that describes the client and the services delivered. Records can be in hard copy and/or electronic format. The case record can be used as a source of information for quality improvement or other evaluation activities, for research purposes, or to demonstrate accountability to funding bodies.


	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.