Last week we finished a new report titled A Path Forward For Kinship Families where we explore the current kinship care structure and provide recommendations that support a balanced, comprehensive approach to serving kinship families.
Three years ago the Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in D.O. v. Glisson that foster care maintenance payments must be the same for approved relative caregivers (kinship caregivers) as licensed non-relative caregivers (foster parents) in the Sixth Circuit’s four states:
Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
Ohio is the only state that has not made progress toward kinship and foster care parity. We believe our members have an important role to play in ensuring that kinship families across the continuum have the service and supports needed to help children thrive. This includes payment parity but also larger reforms to the kinship care landscape including pathways for strengthened licensure, access to supports, and prioritization of permanency.
