Our Goals
Our goal is to reach alone, vulnerable and at-risk “kinship” children by increasing stability in their lives. Our mission is to come alongside their new family, filling in the gaps through supportive case management; providing community involvement, material provision, financial assistance, counseling and legal support.
- Who: Children (0-21) raised by family members, including: grandparents, aunts & uncles, siblings and close family friends.
- How: Parent is unable or unwilling to care for their child.
- Why: Due to the death, incarceration, maltreatment, abandonment and even mental health issues of their biological parent.
- Where: Our initial target is the Orange County area.
At-Risk/Vulnerable
Kinship children are vulnerable in the following areas:
- Emotionally vulnerable
- Physically vulnerable
Potentially placed in dangerous home environment:
- Unlike foster children, material and financial needs may go unmet
Kinship children find themselves at risk in the areas of:
- Physical, Sexual and Emotional Abuse
- Truancy
- Behavioral outbursts
- No legal guardianship
- Secondary abandonment by new caregiver
What does stability look like?
- Continued healthy family relationships
- Consistent social-peer relations
- Meeting educational/vocational goals
- Provision of emotional support and psychological support if needed
- Medical care
- Provide legal assistance to caregivers & child
What does a Kinship Family look like?
A Kinship family can best be described as informal foster care family. Family members sometimes qualify on a case-by-case basis to receive foster care funding, however, the majority of placements will not receive funding.
In 2010 2.7 million grandparents were responsible for most of their grandchildren’s needs. [i]
Kinship Care in California accounts for 36% of all foster youth. [ii]
2/3 of the Kinship population are being raised by biological grandparents.
3% of all US children live in Kinship Care.
Many Kinship families are siblings raising siblings.
Kinship care is usually less costly – on average TANF payments are 50% lower than foster care rates. [iii]
Some challenges Kinship families face include:
- Potential legal issues when taking the children to the ER, doctor or enrolling them in school due to lack of legal guardianship.
- Material and financial burden of supporting additional child/children. [iv]
- Increased demands on caregiver’s time and energy.
The Model
Ezrah’s Hands case management model will consist of partnering with the referring non-profit agency and kinship family to develop an intensive, long-term case plan to create a healthy family, maintain placement and create a foundation for sustainability for every Kinship family.
Footnotes
[iii] (Smith & Devore, 2004)