Grandfamilies: Subsidized Guardianship – California (continued)

Eligibility requirements for Kin-GAP include:

• Children must have been in the foster care system and living with relatives for at least 12 months.
• Children must be under the age of 18, with exceptions made as long as they are attending high school, college, or vocational school.
• There must be evidence of a strong attachment between the child and the relative caregiver.
• Adoption and reunification must have both been carefully considered and ruled out as permanency options.
• The relative caregiver must become the legal guardian of the child prior to receiving the subsidy.
• The placement must be ruled by the court to be in the “best interest” of the child and must be reviewed annually in order for the payments to continue.6

Other program specifics:

• The KinGAP monthly payment is equal to the basic foster care rate based upon age, but does not include a clothing allowance or specialized care increments.
• The primary funding source for the program is TANF, with the difference between TANF funding and the Kin-GAP rate being shared evenly between the state and counties.
• Medical (Medi-Cal) coverage is provided for the children as well as other services through the Kinship Support Services Program.
• The children receiving KinGAP are eligible for Independent Living Services when they become teenagers. • Kin-GAP is administered at the county level with the State providing policy oversight and training.7

The KinGAP application process is as follows:

• The relative should speak to the child’s social worker about the pros and cons of KinGAP and the timeline involved.
• The social worker will facilitate the process of having the eligibility verified, the dependency dismissed, and the legal guardianship established.
• The relative should also talk to the child’s attorney, request an assessment, and request a court review.8
• Once the guardianship is established, the caretaking relative may need to provide a copy of the legal guardianship papers to the county.

Conclusion

KinGAP has helped over 14,000 children exit California's formal foster care system and remain in permanent placements with grandparents or other relatives by providing financial assistance and other services to support these families. KinGAP, however, is funded by state dollars and may be at risk in times of state budget shortfalls. Allowing federal Title IV-E foster care funding to be used for subsidized guardianship programs like KinGAP, would help ensure long-term stability for the program. This could also free up some state funds to serve additional children in need of support, such as those who are outside of California's formal foster care system currently living in homes with loving relatives who are in need of financial assistance in order to continue to care for them.

For more information on this program and its application process go to www.dss.cahwnet.gov/lettersnotices/2001AllCou_580.htm and click on ACIN I-59-01 or contact: Lou Del Gaudio, Manager, Kincare Policy & Support Unit, California Department of Social Services, at (916) 657-1858 or lgaudio@dss.ca.gov.

For more information about pending legislation affecting subsidized guardianships or about grandparents or other relatives raising children in general, visit Generations United’s website at www.gu.org or call 202-289-3979.

This document was sponsored by a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts. The opinions expressed in this document are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Pew Charitable Trusts.