Ohio May Begin Kinship Subsidy

“Thirty states now have kinship-guardian assistance programs that allow the families to receive foster-care money. Ohio is considering joining them.”

“The federal  Fostering Connections Act  approved in 2008 authorized states to start kinship-subsidy programs. Kinship caregivers generally have to meet state foster-parent licensing requirements to obtain the subsidies. But, supporters note, the federal program also allows states to waive some of the nonsafety and health requirements case by case.

“You can’t waive criminal-background checks or histories of child abuse or neglect,” said Crystal Ward Allen, executive director of the Public Children Services Association of Ohio. “What you could waive for the families are a lot of our rigid foster-care rules about things like bedroom size, closet space, window specifications.”

Spokesman Benjamin Johnson said the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services has not made a formal recommendation. About 63 percent of the money for kinship subsidies would come from the federal government, with the rest a mix of state and local funds.

He and Allen said a study group is considering a maximum monthly benefit of $300 per child.

Spinning said there’s no doubt that the program would be cheaper than foster care. The average monthly cost to the Franklin County agency to keep one child in paid care is about $3,500 a month, he said. Over the course of a yearlong placement, the total is close to $44,000.”

Current Ohio Programs

“The state’s Kinship Permanency Incentive Program provides an initial benefit of $450 per child and an ongoing benefit of up to five payments of $250. But it ends after three years.

Families also are often eligible for child-only welfare money, which is about $268 a month for one child. The incremental increase for multiple children is relatively small, Allen said. For a third child, it’s about $73 a month.

That’s why families who take in sibling groups would benefit most under a kinship-assistance program that draws from foster funds.”

State may allow the families to receive foster-care money

[The Columbus Dispatch 9/24/12 by Rita Price]

REFORM Puzzle Piece