The Arizona Kinship
Foster Care
2007 Program Report

The Arizona Department of Economic Security
Division of Children, Youth and Families

Kinship Foster Care
A.R.S. § 8-514.03, requires the Department of Economic Security (DES) to submit
annually on or before November 1, a report regarding the kinship foster care program,
including demographic information, the type of services provided to kinship caregivers,
and recommendations for program improvement. This report is submitted in satisfaction
of that requirement.
For generations, extended families have played significant roles in the rearing of children.
Kinship caregivers provide love and nurturance in a familiar setting as children remain
connected to their families. These children live with people they know and trust,
reinforcing the child’s sense of cultural identity and positive self-esteem. These children
make and sustain family connections and continue lifelong family traditions and
memories. The extended family can support children in building healthy family
relationships, support the child’s need for safety and well-being, and create a sense of
stability in the life of a child.
According to the July 2006 AARP article entitled “State Fact Sheet for Grandparents and
Other Relatives Raising Children”, nationally 8.4% of all children live with non-parent
relatives, 4.5 million with their grandparents and another 1.5 million with other relatives
such as aunts and uncles. In Arizona, 9.7% of all children, or 96,062, live with their
grandparents and another 36,720 children live with other non-parent relatives.
Nationally, the number of children being raised by their relatives has shown an increase
in recent years, including a 30% increase between 1990 and 2000.
Arizona Kinship Foster Care Program Description
The Kinship Foster Care Program prioritizes non-parent relatives as the first placement
preference for children in Child Protective Services (CPS) custody who require out-ofhome care. During state fiscal year 2007, 2,942 abused or neglected children were living
with relatives rather than in foster homes or group homes.
There are two forms of Kinship Foster Care:
Licensed Kinship Foster Care: when a child is placed with a non-parent relative who
becomes licensed as a foster care provider. As of June 30, 2007, there were 177 relatives
licensed as foster parents, caring for 293 children. For the previous reporting period,
there were 93 relatives licensed as foster parents, caring for 180 children. This represents
an increase of 84 relatives, or 90%, who become licensed after accepting children into
their care. This increase may be attributed to the Division of Children, Youth and
Families’ (DCYF’) increased efforts to inform relative caregivers about the financial and
other benefits of licensing, together with increased capacity to manage inquiries
regarding the licensing process.

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Unlicensed Kinship Foster Care: when a child is placed with a non-parent relative with
court approval and the relative is not licensed as a foster care provider. As of June 30,
2007, there were 1,678 unlicensed relatives providing homes for 2,649 children. Ninety
percent of the children living in kinship foster care are placed with unlicensed relative
caregivers.
Non-financial Services Available to Kinship Foster Caregivers
A variety of services are available to kinship foster caregivers and the children they care
for:
• Case management services including regular contact with the kinship caregiver to
assess and identify any current challenges, and to help develop solutions.
• Health care coverage for the children through Title XIX (Medicaid) and/or the
DCYF’ Comprehensive Medical and Dental Program (CMDP).
• Parent aide services provided through contracted and state employed parent aides
who offer training in “family life skills,” provide transportation and supervise
visitation with birth parents and their children.
• Parent skills training for kinship foster caregivers to enhance their parenting
knowledge and skills.
• Referral to mental health and other supportive intervention services for both the
kinship foster caregivers and children.
• Transportation services to access medical and other services for children.
• Child care to provide children with supervision and socialization opportunities.
• Referrals to intradepartmental programs such as the Division of Developmental
Disabilities, Vocational Rehabilitation, Job Service programs, and community
resources for children and kinship foster caregivers.
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
Unlicensed kinship caregivers are encouraged to apply for the Temporary Assistance to
Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance program to receive financial assistance for
children in their care. Of the 2,942 children placed with kinship caregivers on June 30,
2007, 1,055, or 36%, were receiving cash assistance in 680 households, averaging 1.55
eligible children per household. Approximately 61% of these households were headed by
grandparents, 27% by aunts or uncles, and almost 12% by other relatives.
In state fiscal year 2007, the average monthly household TANF cash assistance payment
was $267 for these families. An additional 270 children were members of eligible
households but were determined not eligible for benefits. Of those children, 195 children,
or 72%, were benefit capped 1 . Children who are impacted by the Family Benefit Cap are
not eligible for TANF cash assistance regardless of the household in which they reside.
Other children determined not eligible for benefits included 17 children who were denied
1

Family Benefit Cap: There is no increase in cash assistance for the birth of additional children after the
family begins to receive cash assistance, with some limited exceptions.

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due to their receipt of social security benefits. The remaining 58 children were denied for
other reasons.
Sixty-four percent of children in kinship foster care are not receiving TANF cash
assistance. Through focus groups and interview surveys during this and the previous
reporting periods, kinship foster caregivers who were not receiving cash assistance
reported: (1) the child would be leaving their care soon to return to the parents so it
would not be “worth it” to apply for benefits for such a short period of time, (2) applying
for TANF cash assistance would negatively impact children’s parents, (3) experiencing
difficulties in the application process and giving up, and (4) not wanting to apply for a
public benefit out of personal pride.
State and Federal Legislation Benefiting Kinship Foster Caregivers
The National Conference of State Legislatures issued a report in July 2006 on significant
state child welfare legislation enacted during the 2005 calendar year. This report stated
that a major focus of state legislatures was on promoting or enhancing kinship care and
the use of relatives as providers for children who are abused or neglected. Arizona was
noted as one of the states participating in this trend.
Arizona Laws 2006, Chapter 247, effective September 21, 2006, revised the order of
placement preference for children requiring out-of-home care from a parent or relative to
a parent, grandparent, or another member of the child’s extended family, including a
person who has a significant relationship with the child. When a child is not placed in
one of these least restrictive settings within 60 days after removal, the Juvenile Court is
required to determine why such placement is not in the child’s best interests.
Implementation of Laws 2006, Chapter 247, better ensures that CPS specialists are
diligently identifying, engaging and assessing grandparents, other extended family
members, and significant others, as potential placements for dependent children
throughout the life of a case.
The Kinship Caregiver Support Act (S. 661 and H.R. 2188) was introduced on February
16, 2007 in the U.S. Senate by Senators Clinton (D-NY), Snowe (R-ME) and Cochran
(R-MS) and a companion bill was introduced on May 7, 2007 in the U.S. House of
Representatives by Representative Davis (D-IL) and Johnson (R-IL). Both bills:
establish a Kinship Navigator Program to assist grandparents and other relative
caregivers in locating needed services and supports for children placed in their care and
for themselves. The Act also: gives states the option to use their Title IV-E foster care
funds to provide payments to grandparents and other relatives who have assumed legal
guardianship under certain circumstances; expands eligibility for the Foster Care
Independent Living Program for youth exiting foster care to adoption or legal
guardianship; requires within 60 days of a child’s removal from the custody of their
parent, the state give notice to all adult grandparents and other adult relatives of the
child’s removal, except in cases of domestic violence; and, allows states to create
separate licensing standards for relative foster parents as long as the standards protect

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children and include formal background investigations of potential caregivers. As of the
date of this report, these bills have not passed Congress.
Costs of Care Provided by the Division of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF)
Financial assistance provided to kinship foster caregivers for the children in their care
includes foster care maintenance payments (for licensed kinship foster caregivers) and
personal and clothing allowances (for both licensed and unlicensed relative caregivers).
The average monthly maintenance payment for a child placed in licensed kinship foster
care is $972, in addition to an average monthly payment of $32.30 2 for personal and
clothing allowances. This reimbursement is the same for children placed in out-of-home
care with non-related foster parents. The average monthly payment for children placed
with unlicensed kinship foster caregivers is $32.30 for personal and clothing allowances.
Under certain circumstances, both unlicensed and licensed kinship foster caregivers are
eligible for special allowances for children in their care averaging up to $180 annually to
be used for summer camp attendance, graduation fees, diapers and other special needs.
The average monthly maintenance payment does not include expenditures related to CPS
case management, child care, or other services provided to support kinship foster
caregivers in providing for children in their homes.
Subsidized Guardianship
Five hundred and ninety-seven kinship foster caregivers obtained legal guardianship for
the children in their care this year and were approved for guardianship subsidy. This year
96% of all guardianships for children in out-of-home care were by relatives and the
majority of the relative guardians are grandparents (85%). Most guardians receive TANF
cash assistance for children in their care plus an average monthly subsidized guardianship
payment of $296.
Subsidized Adoption
Six-hundred and fifty-four of the 944 children, 69%, adopted this year were adopted by
relatives. The vast majority of these adoptions were approved for adoption subsidy
maintenance payments at an average monthly subsidized adoption payment of $689 per
child.
Legislated Financial Benefits for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
Laws 2006, Chapter 350, appropriated $1,000,000 to assist grandparents in Arizona who
are raising their grandchildren and funding was reauthorized for state fiscal year 2008.
This appropriation provides payments to grandparents of up to $75 per month per
2

The monthly average for personal and clothing allowances was based upon an average of personal and
clothing allowances for children ages 1-9. This age range was selected since 67 percent of children in
kinship care are under age 7.
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grandchild to be authorized on an on-going basis, with a review and re-authorization
process after six months. In addition to this monthly payment, a one-time reimbursement
of up to $300 per grandchild may be authorized to cover costs associated with the
transition to the grandparents’ home, for example, the purchase of a bed. Special efforts
are made to make this benefit available to grandparents with low incomes, those who live
in rural areas, and those who are minorities. While the majority of grandparents and their
grandchildren served by the program are not involved in Arizona’s child welfare system,
29 grandparents participated in this program this year, who were caring for 64 children
impacted by abuse and neglect. The total amount of expenditures for these children was
$42,500 for an average of $664 per child. The remaining expenditures were made on
behalf of grandparents who were not involved in the DCYF child welfare system.
Demographic Data about Children in Kinship Foster Care
As of June 30, 2007, of the 9,820 children placed in Arizona living in out-of-home care,
2,942, or 30%, were placed in kinship foster care. Of these children, 706 were living with
their siblings.
The average age for children in kinship foster care is 6.7 years, unchanged from last year.
The number of children by age ranges is presented in Chart 1:
Chart 1
Age Ranges of Children in Kinship Care
990

1000
800

545

600

445
315

400
222

244
181

200
0
<1

1-3

4-6

7-9

10-12

13-15

16+

Age Ranges

N=2,942

The largest percentage of children, 990 or 34%, fall within the 1-3 year old age range.
Compared to last year, this represents an increase of 285 children or 40%, between the
ages of 1-3 year olds. The largest decline in the number of children living with kinship
caregivers was children ages 4-6, which decreased by 219 children, or 29%.
Many children, 1,510 or 51%, lived with their kinship foster caregivers for less than a
year followed by 909 or 31% of the children who lived with their kinship caregivers
between one to two years. Chart 2 displays time in placement by years.
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Chart 2
Kinship Care: Time in Current Placement by Years
Number of Children

1,750
1,510

1,500
1,250
1,000

909

750
359

500
250

164

0
<1

1-2

2-3

4+

Range in Years
N = 2,942

Of all children in kinship foster care, 42% were placed with their kinship caregiver at the
time of removal from their homes due to abuse and neglect, and an additional 55% were
placed within 30 days of removal. Children placed in kinship foster care spend 75% of
their out-of-home placement experience with their kinship foster care providers.
The majority of children, 39%, in kinship foster care are Hispanic. Compared to last
year, the number of Caucasian children decreased by 15%, while the number of children
of other ethnicities increased by: 3% for American Indians, 4% for African Americans,
3% for Hispanics, and 4% in the “other” category.
Seventy-six percent of the children (2,192) reside with their kinship foster caregivers in
urban areas (51% in Maricopa County and 25% in Pima County) while the remaining
children, 709, or 24%, reside in rural areas.
During state fiscal year 2007, 2,464 children left kinship foster care status. Of those
children, 97%, or 2,380, achieved permanency: 783 (33%) were reunited with their
parents, 18 (<1%) were placed with other relatives, 944 (40%) were adopted, and an
addition 635 (27%) achieved permanent guardianship.
Demographic Data of Kinship Foster Caregivers
As of June 30, 2007, there were 1,855 kinship foster caregivers. The majority of these
kinship foster caregivers were grandparents or great grandparents (59%), followed by
aunts and uncles (24%), and 12% are other relatives.
Approximately 53% of kinship foster caregivers were married, 43% were single,
widowed or divorced, and the remaining 4% were separated.

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Fifty-one percent of kinship foster caregivers in this reporting period are Caucasian, 35%
Hispanic, 9% African American, 3% American Indian, and the remaining 2% are “other”
or their ethnicity was “not identified”.
Evaluation of the Kinship Foster Care Program
Evaluation activities related to the kinship foster care program have occurred through
surveys and focus groups of kinship caregivers, and through case review. In this manner,
information captured reflects both the perceptions and needs of kinship caregivers, and
also reveals a measure of the efficacy of the agency in identifying, engaging, and
servicing kinship foster caregivers.
Opinions of Kinship Foster Caregivers and DCYF Improvement Activities
Arizona was selected in November 2004 by Casey Family Programs to participate in the
“Breakthrough Series Collaborative” on Supporting Kinship Care. A pilot site in District
II (Pima County) was selected for this initiative, and successful strategies and lessons
learned from this initiative are being “spread” throughout Arizona.
The goals for this initiative include: (1) exploring family relationships with kin as a
resource to help meet the needs of children and families; (2) supporting permanency; (3)
supporting connections between children and their kin; (4) implementing kin-competent
services; (5) collaborating with community partners; and (6) training child welfare staff
in the specific skills and competencies required to effectively work with children and
their kin.
This year, kinship foster caregivers in Pima County were interviewed and focus groups
were held in three other DCYF Districts to obtain recommendations for kinship care
program improvement. Based upon these interviews and focus groups, the majority of
the kinship caregivers indicated general satisfaction with the services they received, and
increasing satisfaction with the length of time the case was open. Common areas of
concern were identified and DCYF’s improvement activities to address these concerns
include:
ƒ

Caregivers had little understanding of the court system or of the importance of
permanency for children.
•

To address this concern, DCYF created and distributed Permanency
Information Sheets to kinship foster caregivers and encouraged kinship foster
caregivers to attend the “Guardianship versus Adoption” presentations which
are presented monthly in both English and Spanish.

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Caregivers felt that the agency did not involve them in the case.
•

ƒ

Caregivers were struggling financially.
•

ƒ

To address this concern, a resource specialist is sent out to visit new kinship
foster caregivers to advise and assist them in getting any available financial
assistance, and, additionally CPS specialists are advised to explain foster
care licensure to the caregivers and to encourage them to apply for licensure
for additional financial support.

Caregivers felt there were not enough hours in the day to accomplish what they
had to for the children in their care.
•

ƒ

To address this concern, CPS specialists were provided training and the
DCYF’s Child Welfare Policy Manual was revised to further emphasize family
involvement.

To address this concern, caregivers are encouraged to take advantage of all
supports available, both formal and informal, and CPS specialists help
connect them to these supports.

Caregivers needed to share their stories with others who were also caring for
children impacted by abuse and neglect.
•

To address this concern, caregivers are encouraged to attend support groups
at available kinship support centers. DCYF established a telephone support
function for caregivers who could not attend events at these centers.

Major Accomplishments in State Fiscal Year 2007
ƒ

The DCYF and community partners developed and enacted a Kinship Care
Coalition Charter in Maricopa County, including DES and a coalition of agencies
who support kinship caregivers.

ƒ

Community partners developed a training curriculum to provide to new CPS
specialists attending the Child Welfare Training Institute (CWTI) and a Train the
Trainers training was held for teams of community kinship professionals and
kinship caregivers. The training that was developed will be provided through the
CWTI and will be provided to current CPS specialists throughout Arizona.

ƒ

There number of licensed kinship caregivers significantly increased, which will
result in additional supports provided to those families.

ƒ

Through the Breakthrough Series Collaborative on Supporting Kinship Care,
kinship-focused projects were “spread” across Arizona.

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Recommendations for Program Improvements
Since its inception, the Kinship Foster Care Program has provided relatives caring for
children impacted by abuse and neglect with the supports they need to help meet the
protective, developmental, cultural and permanency needs of children in their care. The
following recommendations for program improvement represent a continuation of
ongoing efforts to improve the kinship care program in state fiscal year 2008:
ƒ

Increase the placement of children with kinship foster caregivers through earlier
identification of potential kinship placements and through increased facilitation of
Team Decision Making and Family Group Decision Making processes.
Team Decision Making and Family Group Decision Making are decision-making
processes that are used to bring family members, CPS staff, service delivery
professionals, community members and others together to assist the family in
determining what plan of action is in the best interests of their children. Team
Decision Making focuses on placement decisions and Family Group Decision
Making most often focuses on achieving a permanency plan for a child.

ƒ

Increase the number of kinship foster caregiver households who receive TANF
cash assistance through increased training of DES staff, improved integration of
services across DES Divisions, and increased efforts to inform and educate
kinship caregivers about the potential availability of TANF cash assistance.

ƒ

Increase CPS staff understanding of and appreciation for the difficult role of
kinship foster caregivers through increased training to both new CPS specialists
provided through the Child Welfare Training Institute, and to ongoing CPS
specialists as part of Advanced Training, including utilizing kinship caregivers as
presenters and trainers.

ƒ

Increase kinship foster caregiver’s understanding of and help them to navigate the
child welfare system and court processes and increase their understanding of
permanency planning options through training, written information, trainings, and
face-to-face contacts with kinship foster caregivers.

ƒ

Identify barriers to licensing of kinship foster caregivers and explore options to
resolve identified barriers.

ƒ

Investigate the viability of providing expanded respite services for kinship foster
caregivers.

ƒ

Continue to “spread” throughout Arizona the Casey Family Programs
Breakthrough Series on Supporting Kinship Care.

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