Kinship Care in Virginia

 This guest post is from Liz Raykovics, Regent Law rising 3L and Family Law student:

Grandpa Richardson got a phone call that would forever change his life. He was told that if he did not take custody of his granddaughter, she would be placed in to foster care. Mr. Richardson and his wife knew that they had to step in. The next morning, they drove to Fredericksburg to pick up their young granddaughter and grandson. These Grandparents “found themselves in a role they never expected,” raising two young children, Lilia and Isaiah. These children were able to avoid the possible instability, separation, and trauma that may have faced if they were placed in the foster care system with strangers because their grandparents were able to step in. Financial burden and lack of support has resulted in a multitude children without this option in Virginia.

In 2021 there were over 5,000 children in Virginia’s foster care system. Until very recently Virginian relative caregivers, like grandparents, were not supported by the state of Virginia but had to rely on federal support. Things like financial support, training, access to medical care, and more have been difficult for relatives to receive. However, advocates have voiced the need for support for kinship care providers. After a long time of struggling Virginia has started to make relative placement care, also called kinship care, more of a priority.

The benefits of a kinship care are numerous. Studies have shown children placed with relatives have been found to experience fewer placement changes, are more likely to remain in their sibling groups, experience more stability in their everyday lives, have fewer behavior problems, and if a child is reunited with their parents, it is less likely that they will reenter the foster care system. In addition, only six percent of children placed with relatives are reported as trying to leave or run away, compared to the sixteen percent of children who have tried to run away when placed with a non-relative.

 Without an emphasis and support for kinship care Virginia has ranked as one of the worst state foster care systems. Children are aging out at unacceptable rates (meaning they never received a permanent home).  From 2010 to 2019, Virginia has ranked on average forty-ninth out of fifty for children aging out of foster care, with an average of nineteen percent of children in the foster care system aging out. One of the main goals of the foster care system is permanency but this is not being achieved for the children of Virginia. Kinship care, if given more support, proves to be effective in giving this permanency to children in need of care.

Change has begun to occur in Virginia that will provide for kinship care providers. In 2021 Virginia implemented the State-Funded Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program,  allowing kinship caregivers to receive state financial assistance who do not qualify for any federal funding. This is just the beginning but as more support is given to kinship care givers children who are in need of care will begin to find stability and security in the care of someone that they know. This is family restoration.

There is hope when grandparents (and other kin) step up to afford grandchildren the ability to receive the kind of care that Grandpa Richardson gave his own grandchildren.