Report Title:

Kinship Support Network

 

Description:

Creates the public-private Hawaii kinship support network program within the DHS to provide services to grandparent caregivers of children of relatives to begin 7/1/2002. Appropriates $       and $       for FY 2001-2002 and FY 2002-2003, respectively.

 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

191

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2001

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

RELATING TO Kinship CARE.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that while relatives have no legal obligation to become children's caregivers, kin, especially grandparents, are more likely to exercise their responsibility to care for their minor extended family members. There are many reasons why placement with relatives is effective in addressing the three major goals of the child welfare system: providing protection for children, support for families, and finding permanent homes. Placement with grandparents often respects the child's ethnic and racial heritage, keeps the child in touch with siblings and extended family, and encourages more family involvement in reunification efforts.

In 1993, the city and county of San Francisco inaugurated the kinship support network, a public-private collaboration that sought to strengthen the family's ability to maintain a supportive and stable environment as a preferred alternative to out of home placement for children subject to parental abuse, neglect, illness, or death. The kinship support network recognized that grandparents often took on the responsibility of raising a grandchild. However, traditional programs focus on serving parents, not relatives, and grandparents, with whom about one-half of San Francisco's children were placed, were not receiving the help and support they needed. The kinship support network attempted to rectify this situation by providing a grandparents support group, recreational activities, telephone support, home visits, transportation, and case management. Some one thousand six hundred children have been kept out of foster care under the program.

In August, 2000, the kinship support network earned national recognition as a finalist in the Ford Foundation's Innovations in American Government Awards Program, which is administered by Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government in partnership with the Council for Excellence in Government.

The purpose of this Act is to implement a public-private Hawaii kinship support network program to support grandparents who care for children of relatives as an alternative to foster care.

SECTION 2. Chapter 346, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§346-    Hawaii kinship support network program; created within department of human services; services; collaboration; rules. (a) There is created the Hawaii kinship support network program within the department of human services. The program shall provide assistance to grandparents who assume the responsibility of raising and caring for children of relatives as an alternative to foster care placement. The program shall operate on a public-private basis in which the department of human services shall provide support and oversight and shall fund on a contractual basis one or more private nonprofit entities to provide the appropriate services.

(b) The program shall establish individual service plans for grandparents who assume the responsibility of raising and caring for children of relatives which may include any of the following services;

(1) Respite care;

(2) Family counseling;

(3) Case management;

(4) Peer group support;

(5) Information and referral;

(6) Advocacy;

(7) Recreational activities;

(8) Transportation;

(9) Legal services;

(10) Housing assistance; and

(11) Mentoring and tutoring services for children.

(c) The department of human services shall collaborate with all relevant departments, including the departments of health, education, and transportation, and the judiciary, and with all relevant private entities to most efficiently and effectively provide the necessary support and oversight for the program.

(d) The department shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 91 to implement this section."

SECTION 3. The Hawaii kinship support network program shall begin operation no later than July 1, 2002. Before that date, the director of human services shall take the appropriate actions to enter into agreements with one or more private nonprofit entities to provide services and to establish the appropriate collaborative relationships with the necessary departments and private nonprofit entities required under section 346-   , Hawaii Revised Statutes.

SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of          , or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2001-2002, and the sum of $        , or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2002-2003 for the Hawaii kinship support network program. The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of human services for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 5. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect upon approval, except that section 4 shall take effect on July 1, 2001.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________