Kinship Caregiver Programs Awarded $1.34 Million

Money Will Support 13 Programs Serving Children and Families Across New York State

Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced that New York State has awarded $1.34 million to 13 programs to provide Kinship Caregiver services, an important permanency option for children in foster care and others who cannot safely live with their parents. The funding will be administered by the New York State Office of Children and Family Services.

“All children deserve a safe and secure place to live, and today we are taking a major step forward in giving them a place to call home,” Governor Cuomo said. “This funding will provide caregivers with the tools to build a brighter future for thousands of New York children and place them on a path towards growth and success.”

Kinship care is a living arrangement in which children who cannot safely live with their parents live full-time with a relative or close non-relative. Research shows that children who reside with relatives achieve better outcomes than those in non-relative foster care.

The funding was awarded through a competitive Request for Proposals process. Programs will provide an array of services to kinship caregivers, including crisis intervention, family assessments, linkage to community resources, parenting education and training, support groups, and trauma screenings.

Sheila J. Poole, Acting Commissioner of OCFS said, “Every child needs a loving, nurturing, safe place to call home. By funding these programs, we are helping to connect grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives to the resources they need to provide that environment.”

From 2006 through 2010, there were 131,108 grandparents and 87,405 non-grandparent caregivers raising relative children in New York, according to the American Community Survey. It is estimated that one quarter of children in foster care statewide are in a formal kinship placement.

The programs that were awarded and approved for funding are:

Program	Approved Funding	Population Served
Berkshire Farm Center and Services for Youth	$102,980	Erie County
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Rochester / Catholic Family Center	$102,980	Monroe County
Child Care Coordinating Council of the North Country, Inc.	$102,980	Clinton County
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orange County	$102,980	Orange County
Family and Children’s Services of Ithaca	$102,980	Tompkins County
Family Enrichment Network, Inc.	$102,980	Broome County, Tioga County
Family Service Society of Yonkers	$102,980	Westchester County
Gateway-Longview, Inc.	$102,980	Erie County
Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, Inc.	$102,980	Brooklyn
Leadership Training, Inc.	$102,980	Nassau County, Suffolk County
New Alternatives for Children, Inc.	$102,980	New York City
New York Council on Adoptable Children, Inc.	$102,980	New York City
The Neighborhood Center, Inc.*	$102,980	Oneida County

* Also provides information and referral services to Chenango, Herkimer, Lewis, Madison, and Oswego counties

Governor Cuomo proclaimed May as Foster Care Awareness Month to recognize that every child has the right to grow up in a safe, healthy and stable home environment. Foster parents play an essential role in providing temporary, safe, and nurturing homes to children when their parents are unable to care for them.

From 1995 to 2012, the number of children in New York State's foster care system has decreased from approximately 54,000 to fewer than 19,000.

About OCFS

OCFS serves New York by promoting the safety, permanency, and well-being of children, families, and communities. For more information about kinship caregiver services in your area, and to find out how to become a foster parent, visit ocfs.ny.gov.

OCFS maintains an active social media presence. “Like” the New York State Office of Children and Family Services Facebook page and follow @NYSOCFS on Twitter in English or the Spanish-language Twitter account, @NYSOCFS espanol.