Proposed kinship guardianship legislation will create cost-effective care for children in SC

Kinship care might be an unfamiliar term, but you know what it is. It’s when a grandparent or other relative steps up to raise a child who can’t be with their parents. It’s what families have always done to care for their own. When children are in homes with caregivers who know and love them, they can thrive.

 

In South Carolina, when a child cannot be with their parents, extended family is the first choice for placement. In fact, there are 57,000 children in the state in kinship care compared to 3,800 in foster care. These children have experienced the same trauma as those in foster care, yet kinship families do not receive the case management support or financial stipends that foster families do.

 

Kinship caregivers often are called in a crisis and must make an immediate decision about taking in the child. Because they don’t want the children they love to go into foster care, they say yes without worrying about the consequences. As a result, when they bring a child into their home, they’ve had no time to prepare, unlike foster parents who have gone through a long process of preparation. 

 

Kinship families face the same challenges all families face when raising children – but their needs are often amplified because there are few resources and structural support in place to assist them. Many do not have a legal relationship to the children, causing barriers to accessing services like medical treatment or educational assistance.  

 

According to U.S. Census Bureau data, kinship caregivers are more likely to be poor, single, older, less educated, and unemployed than families in which at least one parent is present. Those who are retired or receive disability benefits have limited income to support themselves and the children in their care.

 

Nonetheless, research shows that children in kinship care fare better than those in foster care. In fact, children in kinship care have half the risk of behavioral and social problems of children in foster care. It should come as no surprise when you consider how important it is for children to experience a sense of belonging. That’s what they get when they’re raised by family who know and love them.

 

This month, the South Carolina House of Representatives is considering Senate Bill 380 which will support kinship guardianship (“KinGAP”), a program that provides a path for children to exit the foster care system into legal guardianship with their kinship caregiver when adoption is not the best option. KinGAP has been implemented in more than 40 states. It helps ease the financial burden of childrearing, which is challenging for those with fixed or limited resources. At the same time, it saves the state money. According to the National Governors Association, KinGAP is four times more cost-effective than foster care. 

 

Kinship caregivers save U.S. taxpayers an estimated $6 billion per year keeping children out of the foster care system. Many people recognize that kinship caregivers relieve the overburdened child welfare system. But at what cost? By sacrificing their own needs to put the children first.

 

By supporting kinship caregivers, we are building stronger families and healthier communities. Kinship caregivers are unsung heroes. They deserve our support and recognition for their selfless dedication to the well-being of our most vulnerable children. 

 

HALOS serves kinship families. There are 57,000 children in kinship care in South Carolina.