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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 10162007 - C.43 c>` ............_o� TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Contra= C to FROM: John Cullen os c 3 County Administrator �.,-,�•_ _ �.oa CountyDATE: October 16, 2007 `°"``' SUBJECT: SUPPORT the Kinship Caregiver Support Act and the Child Support Protection Act SPECIFIC REQUEST(S)OR RECOMMENDATION(S)&BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATION(S): SUPPORT S. 611/H.R. 2188, the Kinship Caregiver Support Act and S. 803/H.R. 1386, the Child Support Protection Act of 2007, and AUTHORIZE the Chair of the Board of Supervisors to sign letters of support. FISCAL IMPACT: Relatives who provide foster care for children are likely to lose financial assistance they receive as foster parents if they become the legal guardians. The Kinship Caregiver Support Act will help alleviate the financial burden. The Child Support Protection Act of 2007 would restore federal matching funds that were cut by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 and allow state child support agencies to maintain their level of performance to ensure that parents support their children. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: _YES--- SIGNATl E: ---------------------------------------- - ------------------- ---- -- -- -- ----- ------------- R�FCOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE PROVE OTHER r SIGNATURE(S): 4,-ete� ACTION OF BOA0 LaAPPROVE AS RECOMMENDED_�� OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN UNANIMOUS(ABSENT ) AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. AYES: NOES: ABSENT ABSTAIN: T ATTESTED CONTACT:D Sansoe 5-1009 JOHN C LLEN,CLERK OF THE BO RD OF SUPERVISORS AND OU TY ADMINISTRATOR CC: EHSD DCSS BY DEPUTY ,a.. .-.i. Page 2 of 3 BACKGROUND/REASON(S) FOR RECOMMENDATION(S): Kinship Caregiver Support Act Approximately 2.5 million children are being cared for by grandparents and other relatives without either parent present. One in five of these children live below the poverty line and many of the caregivers live on fixed incomes, but only about 30% receive any public financial support. Of the more than half a million children in foster care, about a quarter are living with relatives. Research shows that children raised in foster care with relatives fare well. When compared with children in foster care with non-relatives, children in relative foster care are: just as safe or safer, less likely to have multiple placements, more likely to stay connected with siblings, and less likely to change schools. Unfortunately, under current federal law the caregivers of these children are likely to lose the financial assistance they received as foster parents to meet the needs of the child if they become legal guardians and provide permanent homes for the children. S. 611/H.R. 2188 provide access to important supportive services for relatives caring for children in foster care, and those helping to keep children out of foster care. Provisions of this act include: 1. Establishes a Kinship Navigator Program, which will help link relative caregivers, both inside and outside of the formal child welfare system, to a broad range of services and supports that will help them meet the needs of the children in their care. It also will help agencies more effectively and efficiently serve kinship care families. State or local agencies, agencies serving large metropolitan areas, and Indian tribal organization or a consortium of tribal organizations may apply for the competitive grants. 2. Establishes a Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program, which will give states the option to use federal funds for subsidized guardianship payments to certain relative caregivers on behalf of the children they are raising in foster care. State agencies must take steps to rule out return home or adoption for the children and take other steps to ensure that this placement is the best permanency alternative for the child. 3. Allows states to establish separate licensing standards for relative foster parents and non-relative foster parents, provided both sets of standards protect children and include criminal record checks. This provision recognizes that certain licensing standards for non-relative foster parents, such as requiring a separate bedroom for each child, may not be appropriate for foster parents who are related to the child. 4. Requires state child welfare agencies to provide notice within 60 days of the removal of a child from the custody of the child's parents, to all adult grandparents and other relatives of the child, subject to exceptions due to family or domestic violence. 5. Expands eligibility for the education elements of the Chafee Foster Care Independence Program to include youths exiting from foster care to legal guardianship. This helps current and former foster care youths gain access to higher education through tuition assistance in the form of Education and Training Vouchers. Page 3 of 3 Child Support Protection Act of 2007 In 2006, the child support program collected $24 billion nationwide for 17 million children — a fourth of the nation's children. For every 74 cents spent by the federal government, the child support program collections $4.58 in private child support dollars. The program doubled its collection rate in the past ten years, and is consistently among the top-rated government programs. The Child Support Protection Act of 2007 would restore federal performance matching funds that were cut by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 and allow state child support agencies to maintain their level of performance to ensure that parents support their children. In the funding is not restored, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that $11 billion in support owed t children will go uncollected over the next ten years, even if states replace half of the lost federal funds. A Lewin Group study recently concluded that anticipated cuts are expected to affect all families receiving services; increase costs in programs such as TANF, Medicaid and Food Stamps; and show worsening effects over time. The cuts would reduce program revenues by 17 percent on average, but some states could lose up to 36 percent.