The Arizona Kinship Foster Care Program
2008 Report

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

Kinship Foster Care
Arizona Revised Statute § 8-514.03, requires the Department of Economic Security (DES) to
submit 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 when
parents otherwise cannot. 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. Children living with
kinship caregivers make and sustain extended family connections and continue lifelong family
traditions and memories. The extended family are provided opportunities to support the child in
building healthy relationships within the family, provide for the child’s safety and well-being,
and create a sense of stability in the life of a child.
Arizona Kinship Foster Care Program Description 1
Arizona’s Kinship Foster Care Program prioritizes relatives as the first placement preference for
children in Child Protective Services (CPS) custody who require out-of-home care.
There are two forms of Kinship Foster Care:
Licensed Kinship Foster Care is when a child is placed with a relative who becomes licensed as
a foster care provider. As of June 30, 2008, there were 182 caregivers licensed as foster parents
and providing out-of-home care for 365 related children.
Unlicensed Kinship Foster Care is when a child is placed with a relative with court approval
and the relative does not become licensed as a foster care provider. As of June 30, 2008, there
were 1,765 unlicensed kinship caregivers providing homes for 2,777 children.
Non-Financial Services Available to Kinship Foster Caregivers
A variety of services are available to kinship foster caregivers and the children they care for,
including:
• Case management services - regular contact with the kinship caregiver to assess and
identify needs of the child and family and assist in developing solutions.
• Health care coverage - children are provided health care coverage through Title XIX
(Medicaid) and/or the Division of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) Comprehensive
Medical and Dental Program (CMDP).
• Parent aide services - contracted and state employed parent aides offer training in family
life skills, provide transportation, and supervise visitation with birth parents and their
children.

1

Numbers presented in this report were extracted from the CPS case management system based on a data run
completed in July 2008 for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008.

2

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•
•
•
•
•

•

Parent skills training - training is provided for kinship foster caregivers to enhance their
parenting knowledge and skills.
Mental health and other supportive intervention services – referrals are available for
kinship foster caregivers and children.
Transportation services – transportation for children to and from medical appointments
and other necessary services.
Child care subsidy- supervision and socialization opportunities provided for children.
Respite care – six days or up to 144 hours annually of respite care is available for
kinship foster caregivers.
Referrals to interdepartmental programs – programs such as the Division of
Developmental Disabilities, Vocational Rehabilitation, Job Service, and community
resources for children and kinship foster caregivers are available through DES.
Arizona Statewide newsletter – provides ongoing information, educational opportunities
and services that support kinship foster caregivers.

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
Kinship foster caregivers are encouraged to apply for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
(TANF) Cash Assistance (CA) to receive financial assistance for children in their care. Of the
3,142 children in kinship foster care on June 30, 2008, 1,151 or 37 percent 2 were CA recipients
in 753 households, averaging 1.53 eligible children per household.
In fiscal year 2008, the average monthly household TANF cash assistance payment was $264.62,
which is a two dollar decrease over last year’s average monthly household CA payment of
$266.66. An additional 238 children were members of eligible households but were determined
not eligible for benefits. Of those children, 191 children or 80 percent were benefit-capped 3 .
Benefit-capped children are not eligible for TANF cash assistance regardless of the household in
which they reside. An additional 25 children or 10.5 percent were denied benefits due to their
receipt of Social Security benefits. The remaining children were denied benefits for other
reasons.
Ten of the grandparent caregivers were also included in the TANF cash assistance grant, a
decrease of 2 or 16.7 percent from last year. The average monthly TANF cash assistance for
households that included grandparents was $248, a $14 decrease compared to the $262.06
average monthly TANF cash assistance benefit for households that included grandparents on the
TANF grant in fiscal year 2007.
For fiscal year 2008, approximately 59 percent of TANF cash assistance households in the
kinship foster care program were headed by grandparents, 27 percent by aunts or uncles, and 14
percent by other relatives. This compares to approximately 61 percent of TANF cash assistance
2

Data sources are Arizona Technical Eligibility Computer System (AZTECS) and Children’s Information Library
and Data Source (CHILDS).
3

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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households headed by grandparents, 27 percent by aunts or uncles, and 12 percent headed by
other relatives in fiscal year 2007.
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 include
foster care maintenance payments (for licensed kinship foster caregivers) and personal and
clothing allowances (for both licensed and unlicensed relative caregivers).
In State Fiscal Year 2008, the monthly maintenance cost of care for a child placed in Licensed
Kinship foster care was $909.57, in addition each child is entitled to personal and clothing
allowances which range from $.63 to $2.63 per day depending on the age of the child. Under
certain circumstances, both unlicensed and licensed kinship foster caregivers are eligible for
special allowances. Special allowances are available for costs incurred by children to attend
camp, pay for graduation fees, or assist with diapers, and average $180 annually.
The average monthly maintenance amount does not include expenditures related to CPS case
management, child care, or other services provided to support kinship foster caregivers in
providing care for children in their homes.
Demographic Data about Children in Kinship Foster Care
As of June 30, 2008, there were 3,142 children placed in kinship foster care, which is 32 percent
of the total out-of-home care population of 9,965 children. Of the 3,142 children, 668 were
placed with siblings.
As compared to June 30, 2007, there was an approximate 7 percent increase in the number of
children in kinship foster care, while the overall number of children in out-of-home placement
remained fairly constant. 4
The average age for children in kinship foster care was 7.1 years, a slight increase from last
year’s average of 6.7 years. The number of children by age ranges is presented in Chart 1:
Chart 1
Age Ranges of Children in Kinship Care
983

1000
800

581

600
400

478
332

242

296

230

200
0
<1

N=3,142
4

1-3

4-6

7-9

10-12

Age Ranges

On June 30, 2007, there were 2,942 children in kinship foster care.

4

13-15

16+

The largest percentage of children, 983 or 31.3 percent, are between one to three years old.
There was a significant increase from last year in the number of children in the 13 to 15 year-old
range, which increased 21 percent from 244 to 296. Additionally, there was an increase in
children in the 16+ age range, which increased from 181 to 230, or 27 percent. No age range
reflected a decrease of children in kinship care.
Many children, 1,745 or 56 percent, lived with their kinship foster caregivers for less than a year
followed by 965 or 31 percent of the children who lived with their kinship caregivers from one to
two years. Children are then reunified, adopted or go to legal guardianship. Chart 2 displays
time in placement by years.

Number of
Children

Chart 2
Kinship Care: Time in Current Placement by Years
2,000
1,750
1,500
1,250
1,000
750
500
250
0

1,745

965
290
142
<1

1-2

2-3

4+

Years in Current Placement

N = 3,142

Children placed in kinship foster care spend 65 percent of their out-of-home placement
experience with their kinship foster care providers. The average number of children residing in
the same kinship caretaker home is 1.6 children.
The ethnicity of children in kinship foster care is displayed in Chart 3. These percentages mirror
last year’s data, with the exception of a 1 percent increase in the number of African American
children in kinship foster care.
Chart 3
Ethnicity of Children in Kinship Care

O the r, 104, 3%
Asian, 32, 1%
Ame rican Indian,
174, 6%
White , 1,197,
African
38%
Ame rican, 382,
12%

N = 3,142

Hispanic, 1,253,
40%

5

White
Hispanic
African Ame rican
Ame rican Indian
Asian
O the r

Of children in kinship foster care, 51 percent are female (1,618) and 49 percent are male (1,524).
During fiscal year 2008, 2,218 children left kinship foster care status. Of those children, 95
percent or 2,108 achieved permanency. Of those children achieving permanency, 643 or 31
percent were reunited with their parents, 448 or 21 percent achieved permanent guardianship
with their kinship foster caregivers, and 652 or 31 percent were adopted by their kinship foster
caregivers. The remaining 365 children achieved permanency with persons other than relatives.
This data clearly illustrates the importance of relatives for permanency for children.
Demographic Data of Kinship Foster Caregivers
As of June 30, 2008, there were 1,945 kinship foster caregivers. This represents an increase of
90 kinship foster caregivers, or 5 percent over the 1,855 kinship foster caregivers on June 30,
2007.
Individuals between the ages of 41-60 make up the largest component of the kinship foster care
providers. Specifically, 596 or 19 percent of kinship caregivers are over age 60 and are often
grandparents caring for their grandchildren. There are 20 or .6 percent under age 20; 271 or 9
percent between the ages of 20-30; and 490 or 16 percent between the ages of 30-40.
Chart 4
Kinship Caregivers' Ages
18- 20
1%

21 - 30
9%

61 & Over
19%

18- 20
31 - 40
16%

21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 50
51 - 60

51 - 60
28%

41 - 50
27%

61 & Over

About 50 percent of the kinship foster caregivers are married, 47 percent are single, widowed or
divorced, and the remaining 3 percent are separated.
The majority of kinship foster caregivers, or 52 percent are Caucasian, followed by 35 percent
Hispanic and 9 percent African American (Chart 5). A 3 percent increase is noted in the number
of Hispanic kinship foster caregivers while other categories remained relatively static compared
to last year.

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Chart 5
Ethnicity of Kinship Caregivers
American Indian
4%

Asian
0%

Other
0%

White
Hispanic

African American
9%

African American
White
52%

American Indian
Asian
Other

Hispanic
35%

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 supporting kinship foster
caregivers.
In August of 2007, Arizona participated in the federal Child and Family Services Review
(CFSR), which was conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
In-home and out-of-home cases were randomly selected for review by teams of federal and state
case reviewers. The reviews were held in Maricopa, Pima and Pinal counties. The case reviews
included interviews with case participants, which included kinship foster caregivers.
Kinship foster care questions covered in the federal review included:
•

Was the child’s current or most recent placement with a relative?

•

Is (or was) this placement stable and appropriate to the child’s needs?

•

If the answer to either of the first two questions was no, did the agency make concerted
efforts to identify, locate and evaluate maternal relatives as potential placements for the
child, with the result that maternal relatives were ruled out as, or were unwilling to be,
placement resources?

•

If the answer to either of the first two questions was no, did the agency make a concerted
effort to identify, locate and evaluate paternal relatives as potential placements for the child
with the result that paternal relatives were ruled out as, or were unwilling to be, placement
resources?
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Based upon the answers to the above questions, the CFSR review team could rate kinship foster
care as either being a strength or as being an area needing improvement (or not applicable). Data
from the 2007 federal review indicated that the majority of cases reviewed for kinship care were
rated as strength. Seventy-three percent of the cases reviewed were rated strength on kinship
care.
Program Enhancements:
During fiscal year 2008, the Division of Children, Youth and Families strengthened the Kinship
Foster Care Program in the following ways:
•

During fiscal year 2008, 32 percent of the out of home population were in kinship foster care
placements, as compared to 30 percent of the out of home population in fiscal year 2007.
This increase is attributed, in part, to the earlier identification of potential kinship placements
and the use of Team Decision Making and Family Group Decision Making in the placement
identification and selection. These processes bring together family members, CPS staff,
service delivery professionals, community members, and others to assist the family in
determining the plan of action that is in the best interests of their children.

•

The Division’s Child Welfare Training Institute has enhanced the curriculum for new case
manager training by including additional information on the importance of connecting
kinship foster caregivers with needed financial resources and non-financial supports.
Training is also focused on improving the integration of services across Department
divisions, as kinship caregivers may receive supports through programs administered in
several divisions.

•

The Arizona Statewide newsletter is now sent to kinship foster caregivers, in addition to
foster and adoptive parents. This bi-monthly newsletter now includes articles with
information specifically focused on kinship care, permanency planning, trainings
opportunities, and support groups in the communities.

•

The toll-free 1-877-KIDSNEEDU home recruitment and information line assists kinship
foster caregivers who are interested in becoming licensed as foster parent. A recruitment
specialist talks with kinship foster caregivers and provides them with information on foster
parent orientations and the licensing process.

•

The Division and contracted home recruitment, study and supervision agencies (HRSS)
provide respite care services to licensed and unlicensed kinship care providers. Caregivers
may receive 6 days, or up to 144 hours of respite care services annually. The Division
continues to make efforts to locate and inform kinship providers of additional respite
services.

•

The Division recently revised its Child Safety Assessment, Family Strengths and Risks
Assessment and Case Planning (CSA/SRA/CP) process. This revised process requires

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significant family engagement for gathering sufficient information to inform decision
making. When children are removed, this process guides the CPS case manager in locating
and assessing potential relatives for placement. In addition, the Team Decision Making
(TDM) and Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) processes rely heavily on kinship
involvement when making placement and permanency decisions for children.
•

The Division was actively involved in an event entitled “Kinship University,” which was
held on November 14 and 15, 2008. The theme of this event is “Coming Together for
Kinship Care.” Workshops for this event included such topics as “How to get Financial and
other Resources for your Family Needs” and “Taking Care of Caregivers.” Positive feedback
was received from kinship caregivers as a result of the forum.

Recommendations
The recommendations below will strengthen the Department’s support of kinship foster
caregivers. In addition, the recommendations support programmatic and fiscal accountability for
implementing the federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of
2008 (HR 6893), which was signed into federal law on October 7, 2008. This legislation expands
federal supports for kinship foster caregivers, provides states with the option to use federal Title
IV-E funds for kinship guardianship payments for children raised by relative caregivers, and
clarifies that states may waive non-safety licensing standards for relatives who wish to become
licensed foster parents. Most of the provisions of this bill are effective October 1, 2010.
•

It is recommended that the Division continue to encourage and assist kinship foster
caregivers in the foster home licensing process. Kinship foster caregivers who become
licensed as foster parents receive additional financial supports to assist in providing 24/7 out
of home care to related children who are wards of the juvenile court. The Division will
follow-up with kinship foster caregivers who pursue foster home licensure to identify and
alleviate barriers they may face in the process.

•

It is recommended that the Division continue to increase supports provided to both kinship
foster caregivers and the case managers who interact with these caregivers. This effort will
focus on enhanced communications with case managers regarding resources available to
kinship foster caregivers, updated information pamphlets and printed materials regarding the
Kinship Foster Care Program, and follow-up contacts with kinship foster caregivers
throughout the state.

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