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New option for Pennsylvania's foster families begins State extends subsidies under permanent arrangement Monday, July 02, 2001 By Barbara White Stack, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Pennsylvania recently established a new option for permanent relationships between abused or neglected children and foster parents.
It is called subsidized permanent legal custodialship. Under it, foster parents would become legal guardians and continue to receive what would amount to foster care payments until the children are 18.
The option is for children who are unable to return to their parents and for foster parents who want to raise the children but do not want to adopt.
The continued payments enable many families to afford to raise other people's children. And it's not an extraordinary policy for the state to continue providing such payments, because those who adopt foster children often qualify for similar payments until the children turn 18.
Grandparents and other kinship caregivers lobbied for the new option. Often, they are willing to raise their grandchildren or nieces and nephews, but do not want to adopt. That is because adoption would require termination of parental rights, and the person terminated would be their own daughter or sibling. They are willing to help the children but unwilling to participate in hurting the parent.
Some county agencies, such as Allegheny County's Office of Children, Youth and Families, also sought the option because it would be cheaper than simply keeping the children in foster care. Once custodialship is established, the monthly visits by caseworkers will stop, and only annual reviews will be required.
Marc Cherna, director of Allegheny County's Department of Human Services, said CYF has identified dozens of children for whom this new option would be appropriate and will begin immediately asking judges to change the children's goal to custodialship, the first step necessary in the process.
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