Needell UCB KinshipCare Select Committee Final

Kinship Foster Care in CaliforniaTestimony to Assembly Select Committee on Foster CareSacramento, CA2/15/06Barbara Needell, MSW, PhDCenter for Social Services ResearchUniversity of California at Berkeleypresentation prepared by Emily Putnam Hornstein, MSW, Graduate Student ResearcherThe Performance Indicators Project at CSSR is supported by the California Department of Social Services and the Stuart Foundation: 

Kinship Foster Care in California Testimony to Assembly Select Committee on Foster Care Sacramento, CA 2/15/06 Barbara Needell, MSW, PhD Center for Social Services Research University of California at Berkeley presentation prepared by Emily Putnam Hornstein, MSW, Graduate Student Researcher The Performance Indicators Project at CSSR is supported by the California Department of Social Services and the Stuart Foundation

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1998 1999 2004 2005 2001 2002 2003 2000 Group/Shelter Kinship FFA Foster Other/Missing TOTAL 1998 to June 2005 California: First Entries by First Placement Type While the number of children entering foster care has remained relatively constant since 1998, there has been a decrease in the number of children who are initially placed in Kinship Homes or Foster Homes and an increase in the number placed in Foster Family Agency (FFA) Homes. Guardianship

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July 2004-June 2005 California: First Entries by First Placement in Kinship Care Although most counties have experienced a decrease in the proportion of children entering care who are placed initially in Kinship Homes, the proportion varies widely--over 30% in Los Angeles and Orange and less than 10% in Sacramento, Santa Clara, and Alameda, for example. % Note: CWDA 20 Small counties excluded. San Luis Obispo Over 30% Less than 10% San Francisco Santa Barbara San Bernardino

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1998 1999 2004 2005 2001 2002 2003 2000 Group/Shelter Kinship FFA Foster TOTAL 1998 to July 2005 California: Caseload by Placement Type The child welfare caseload has dropped from over 108,000 in 1998 to about 83,000 in 2005. The number of children placed in Kinship or Foster Homes has decreased, while the number of children in FFA and Group homes has remained relatively consistent over time despite the drop in overall caseload. Other Pre-Adopt/Guardianship

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July 1, 2005 California: % of Children Placed in Kinship Care by County Caseload Counties vary widely in their use of Kinship Care—over 50% of San Francisco foster care caseload and less than 25% of Fresno foster care caseload are in Kinship Care, for example. % Note: CWDA 20 Small counties excluded. San Luis Obispo 53.6% 21.9%

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July 1, 2005 California: Child Welfare Foster Care Caseload by Age and Placement Type About 35% of the children in care are in Kinship Care; about 43% of 1-5 year olds in care are in Kinship Care (34.6)* (11.0)* (23.2)* (8.5)* * Series total

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% July 1, 2005 California: Child Welfare Foster Care Caseload by Race and Placement Type About 38% of Black, 30% of White, and 35% of Hispanic children in care are in Kinship Care.

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% With All Siblings % July 1, 2005 California: Children Placed with All Siblings by Placement Type and Family Size Sibling Groups are more likely to be placed together in Kinship Care than in other types of care, especially with larger sibling groups. (For sibling groups of 4 or more, 40% of those in Kin Care are placed all together vs. 15% in FFAs and 10% in Foster Homes.)

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2003 First Entries California: Home/Placement Distance by Kin and Non-Kin for Children Still in Care at 12 months Children placed with Kin are much more likely than those in Non-Kin care to be placed close to the home they were removed from (28% vs. 5% less than 1 mile from home).

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1998 First Entries California: Placement Stability Over 72 Months Children in Kinship Care are less likely to have multiple placement moves, particularly if they are in care for an extended time. Kin Non-Kin Months Months

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1999 First Entries California: 60 Months From Entry Five years after first entering foster care, a smaller proportion of children placed mostly in Kinship Care are still in care than children placed mostly in Non-Kin Care (8% vs. 10%). While the proportion reunified is slightly lower for children placed in Kinship Care (56% vs. 62%), the proportion adopted is similar (16-17%) and children in Kinship Care are much more likely to exit to guardianship (15% vs 2%), so that 87% achieved permanency, compared to 81% of children placed mostly in Non-Kin Care. Months Months 56 62 16 17 15 2 3 5 2 8 5 10 87 81

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2001 First Entries California: Reentry following Reunification within 12 months by Age Children who are reunified from Kinship Care are less likely to reenter care than those who are reunified from Non-Kin Care. <1 yr 1-2 yrs 3-5 yrs 6-10 yrs 11-15 yrs 16-17 yrs Kin Within 6 months 6-11 months 12-23 months 18.5 25.7 13.8 20.8 16.1 18.3 11.4 16.4 12.6 17.3 5.4 8.4 %

California:Children in Child Welfare Supervised Foster Care by Kin Placement and Time in Current EpisodeIn 2000, just over 75% of children placed in Kinship Care had been in care for more than 1 year. 60% had been in care for more than 2 years .: 

California: Children in Child Welfare Supervised Foster Care by Kin Placement and Time in Current Episode In 2000, just over 75% of children placed in Kinship Care had been in care for more than 1 year. 60% had been in care for more than 2 years . January 1, 2000 Caseload <12 months 12-23 months 24-59 months 60+ months Kin Breakouts by Time in Current Placement Episode Kin-GAP Time Eligible (36,035)

California:Children in Child Welfare Supervised Foster Care by Kin Placement and Time in Current Episode63% of children placed in Kinship Care have been in care for more than 1 year, over 40% have been in care for more than 2 years .: 

California: Children in Child Welfare Supervised Foster Care by Kin Placement and Time in Current Episode 63% of children placed in Kinship Care have been in care for more than 1 year, over 40% have been in care for more than 2 years . July 1, 2005 Caseload <12 months 12-23 months 24-59 months 60+ months Kin Breakouts by Time in Current Placement Episode Kin-GAP Time Eligible (18,174)

California:Children in Probation Supervised Foster Care by Kin Placement and Time in Current EpisodeThere are 239 children in Probation supervised Kinship Care, and 169 have been in care for more than 1 year.: 

California: Children in Probation Supervised Foster Care by Kin Placement and Time in Current Episode There are 239 children in Probation supervised Kinship Care, and 169 have been in care for more than 1 year. July 1, 2005 Probation Supervised Foster Care Caseload <12 months 12-23 months 24-59 months 60+ months Kin Breakouts by Time in Current Placement Episode Kin-GAP Time Eligible (169)

California:Cumulative % of Children with Substantiated Referrals After Entering Kin-GAP (n=12,898) Children exiting to Kin-GAP are relatively unlikely to be re-abused (about 3% within 1 year, 11% within 4 years) .: 

California: Cumulative % of Children with Substantiated Referrals After Entering Kin-GAP (n=12,898) Children exiting to Kin-GAP are relatively unlikely to be re-abused (about 3% within 1 year, 11% within 4 years) . < 1 yr <2 yrs n=5,414 n=2,903 n=2,316 <3 yrs <4 yrs n=2,265 * Based on data through September 30,2004.

California:Cumulative % of Children Re-Entering Foster Care from Kin-GAP (n=12,898)Children exiting to Kin-GAP are relatively unlikely to re-enter foster care (about 2% within 1 year, 7% within 4 years).: 

California: Cumulative % of Children Re-Entering Foster Care from Kin-GAP (n=12,898) Children exiting to Kin-GAP are relatively unlikely to re-enter foster care (about 2% within 1 year, 7% within 4 years). < 1 yr <2 yrs n=5,414 n=2,903 n=2,316 <3 yrs <4 yrs n=2,265 * Based on data through September 30,2004.

Kinship Support Service Program (KSSP) Study Summary: 

Kinship Support Service Program (KSSP) Study Summary From October 2001-January 2003, 19 California KSSP sites delivered a range of community based services to (2,169) caregivers and their (3,923) relative children. 91,385 service delivery incidents were documented. The most popular services provided to these caregivers and their children include: Overall Satisfaction Of caregivers who responded to the question of how the KSSP program could be enhanced, the most common responses indicated that no improvement was needed (43.9%).

Data Sources:http://cssr.berkeley.edu/CWSCMSReportsUnpublished KinGAP analyses using CWSCMS dataShlonsky, A., Dawson, W., Choi, Y., Piccus, W., Cardona, P., & B. Needell.  (2004 report to CDSS).  Kinship Support Services in California: An Evaluation of California’s Kinship Support Services Program (KSSP)   : 

Data Sources: http://cssr.berkeley.edu/CWSCMSReports Unpublished KinGAP analyses using CWSCMS data Shlonsky, A., Dawson, W., Choi, Y., Piccus, W., Cardona, P., & B. Needell.  (2004 report to CDSS).  Kinship Support Services in California: An Evaluation of California’s Kinship Support Services Program (KSSP)  

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Thank you for this opportunity Go Bears bneedell@berkeley.edu 510.642.1893 cssr.berkeley.edu/CWSCMSreports