TABLE OF CONTENTS Policy Recommendations....................................................................................4 How the Child Welfare System Works in Pennsylvania...................................... 5 Formal and Informal Kinship Caregiving in Pennsylvania.................................. 6 Current Policies & Practices.............................................................................7-9 • S tatutory and Regulatory Provisions and Practice for Formal Kinship........ 7 • Appeal Process or Lack Thereof..................................................................8 • State Kinship Bulletins and Policies.............................................................9 Impacts of COVID-19...................................................................................10-11 Role of the Courts and Legal Professionals.................................................12-13 • High-Quality Legal Representation............................................................12 • Family Group Decision-Making..................................................................12 • Family Finding........................................................................................... 13 • Family Engagement Initiative.....................................................................13 • Permanency Barriers Project.....................................................................13 Lived Experiences........................................................................................14-15 State Approaches to Formal Kinship Care...................................................16-17 Service Needs for Kinship Caregivers. .............................................................18 Data Collection..................................................................................................18 Creating a Fairer System for Families...............................................................18 Contributors.......................................................................................................19 Acknowledgments.............................................................................................19 Sources.........................................................................................................20-21
3
Kinship Care in Pennsylvania: Creating an Equitable System for Families – January 2021
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker