When a child is taken away from their parents and placed in the foster care system, there is an option to have them placed with a kinship caregiver. This is a member of their family who wants to take them in, such as a grandparent, aunt, uncle, older sibling, etc. In this type of situation, the kinship caregivers must be properly qualified in order to care for the child. Here are three things that a kinship caregiver must do.
Complete A Home Assessment
One of the requirements of kinship care is a home assessment. This is a very important assessment that is carried out by a caseworker, and generally consists of one or more visits to the potential kinship caregiver’s home. All those who live in the home will be asked questions to find out whether or not the home is a safe, secure, and nurturing environment for the foster child to be placed in. This helps ensure that kinship placement is a good thing.
Have A Clear Criminal Record
It is also very important that the kinship who is looking to take in the foster child has a clear criminal record. This is true for all the members who are 14 years or older, and will be living in the home with the main caregivers. If there is a criminal record, then the child will not be placed in the kinship home and will likely need to find another placement.
Receive Their Foster Parent Licensure
While foster parent licensure is not required right away, in a lot of emergency placement kinship situations, it is required that you become licensed at some point. This allows you to get the full benefits provided to foster parents, such as the financial assistance needed to care for the child or children who are in your home.
To learn more about what is required for kinship care, visit us today at 2Ingage.