New Arizona kinship care program gives families same benefits, support as foster parents
Download mp3 (931.2 KB)When finding a home for a foster child, the Arizona Department of Child Safety always tries to place them with family first, but taking on a child can be daunting. So DCS is rolling out a new Kinship Support Services (KSS) program to help support those families.
It allows kinship caregivers to receive the same benefits and support systems that licensed foster parents get.
DCS is offering an expedited path to foster care licensing and help enrolling their kids in school, among other things.
The program will also help kinship families navigate the complex child welfare system by teaching them how to access community resources and find medical or behavioral health-care providers.
David Lujan is the department's CEO.
"We are committed to supporting kinship families and ensuring that they have the tools and resources they need to provide a safe and nurturing environment for children," Lujan said. "The launch of the KSS contract is a significant step forward in our efforts to strengthen kinship care in Arizona."
The department said placing children with people they know often reduces their trauma. By increasing support for those families, DCS hopes more children will be able to stay with them.
