Kinship is one of the most desirable outcomes should a child need temporary or permanent out-of-home placement
Kinship care refers to a temporary or permanent arrangement in which a relative or nonrelative adult, who has a long-standing relationship or bond with the child and/or family, takes over the full-time, substitute care of that child. In many cases, kinship caregivers are grandparents. Nearly 100,000 grandparents in Ohio are raising their grandchildren.
Kinship care represents the most desirable temporary or permanent out-of-home placement option for children who cannot live with their parents. It offers family preservation and the greatest level of stability by allowing children to maintain their sense of belonging, and enhances their ability to identify with their family’s culture, and traditions.
Why Kinship?
Kinship placement is less traumatic to the child and family unit. Research confirms it is the best choice when children cannot live with their own parents. Kinship helps the child maintain more frequent contact with their family, friends, peers and other familiar associations.
Kinship is accomplished through Network for Life
Network For Life is the Allen County Children Services Kinship Program. The program was developed in January 2014 to assist relative and kinship caregivers in their journey to care for children placed in their homes when they are not able to safely remain in their own homes. Living with relatives and kinship caregivers give the children the opportunity to remain connected to their families, and other things that are familiar.
Our agency recognizes the need to support relative and kinship caregivers and help them manage the transition of the children into their homes, and in some cases, provide permanency for the children we serve.
Our goal is to provide services to these caregivers, much like we do with birth parents and foster parents.
Services provided through the NFL program include:
- Kinship Assessment
- Supportive Services
- Referrals for Available Community Resources
- Training Opportunities
2021 Stats
As of Dec. 31, 2021, there were 83 kinship caregivers and 142 children in the NFL program.
Kinship Permanency Incentive
The Kinship Permanency Incentive (KPI) program is designed to promote permanent commitments by kinship caregivers, by helping defray some of the costs of caring for children. Eligible caregivers will receive an initial payment to defray costs of initial placement and may receive subsequent payments at six-month intervals to support the stability of the child’s placement in the home. The maximum incentive amount may not exceed eight payments and will not be provided for longer than forty-eight consecutive months. Participation in this program does not preclude these families from also receiving child-only Ohio Works First benefits.
Eligibility requirements for Ohio’s Kinship Permanency Incentive program include:
- A court must award legal custody or guardianship of the child on or after July 1, 2005, to the kinship caregiver.
- The gross income of the caregiver’s family, including the child, may not exceed 300 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.
Kinship caregivers must apply for the program at their local public children services agency or county department of job and family services. They also must submit to a family home assessment and a criminal background check.