EXECUTIVE SUMMARY


    PURPOSE

    This report concerns foster home care provided by the relatives of those children in the
    legal custody of State child welfare agencies. It identifies issues in State regulations and
    official practices concerning the use, certification, and support of extended family
    members within the foster care systems of the fifty States and the District of Columbia.
    The companion report, "State Practices in Using Relatives for Foster Care," describes
    policy and practices on a state-by-state basis.


    METHODOLOGY

    We used a four-step process for data collection:

    • we explored the many recently initiated research and policy development
      efforts in this area;
    • we interviewed foster care administrators in the fifty States and the District
      of Columbia concerning policies and practices in using relative foster care
      providers;
    • we reviewed relevant State policy documents; and,
    • we interviewed administrators of special programs for relative foster-care
      providers concerning the features of their programs.


    FINDINGS

  • Few States collect detailed information about foster-care placements with relatives.

    Last year, almost 80,000 children received foster care from relatives in the 29 States with
    the capability to identify such placements.

  • Over the last five years, States have made increased use of relatives as foster parents.

    The growing success of State policies that encourage maintenance of extended family ties,
    litigation, and the shortage of foster homes are key reasons for the increased use of
    relative foster homes.


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  • States frequently lack formal policies for licensing or approving relative foster
    homes.

    Relative foster parents are generally held to lesser standards unless they also care for non-
    related foster children.

  • Policies concerning the payment of foster-care maintenance vary widely between and
    within States.

  • There is evidence that children placed with relatives remain the legal responsibility of
    the State for longer than children in other alterative care arrangements.


    RECOMMENDATIONS

    The States, universities, and family and child welfare organizations should:

  • Conduct further research concerning the use of relative caregivers within the child
    welfare system.

    The Administration for Children and Families (ACF should:

  • Encourage States to extend existing foster home standards to relative foster homes
    or to develop reasonable and consistent standards for using and evaluating relative
    foster care homes that are not licensed or approved.

  • Encourage States to develop consistent, straightforward policies for informing
    licensed or approved relatives of their eligibility for financial reimbursement.

  • Assist States to accomplish the two prior recommendations through research,
    consultation and technical assistance.

  • Study the potential costs and benefits of providing subsidies to relatives who
    assume guardianship for special-needs children in their care.


    DEPARTMENTAL COMMENTS

    We received comments from the Administration for Children and Families (AFDC), the
    Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), and the Assistant Secretary for
    Management and Budget (ASMB). Respondents were generally supportive of our
    findings, but the ACF and the ASMB expressed doubts about the ACF's authority to
    intervene in the States' application of standards or provision of foster care maintenance
    payments when foster care placements are not supported through Federal funds. We have
    amended the recommendations to meet these concerns by calling on ACF to "encourage"


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    rather than "require" appropriate State actions. We have made other changes in the
    recommendations to make the intent of the recommendations clearer. Please refer to
    Appendix C, "OIG Response to Departmental Comments," and to Appendix-D for the full
    text of all departmental comments.

    We are appreciative of comments received from staff of the Child Welfare League of
    America and the American Public Welfare Association.






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