On December 29, 2020, Governor DeWine signed Senate Bill 310 which created a Kinship Support Program (KSP) to provide financial payments to eligible kinship caregivers. ODJFS recently provided an update on this program that we would like to share with you.
This month, the ODJFS Office of Families and Children sent a list of kinship caregivers currently determined eligible for the KSP to county PCSAs. In their update, the Department provided a document titled: "Policy and Practice Guidance Document #004, Kinship Support Program Overview".
ODJFS also recently released “Policy and Practice Guidance Document #006 - Becoming a Foster Caregiver after KSP”. The Department has stated that the intent of this document is to provide high-level information to kinship caregivers who are interested in becoming certified foster caregivers.
Agencies should review this information with their kinship caregivers, including pointing out the Foster Care and Adoption in Ohio | Ohio.gov website and answering the family’s questions.
All of the documents ODJFS has released around the KSP are available on the Office of Families and Children Webpage in the Kinship Section: Office for Children and Families | Office of Families and Children | Ohio Department of Job and Family Services