[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
financial impact of out of home placement on families
<x-html>
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content=text/html;charset=iso-8859-1>
<STYLE></STYLE>
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.5730.11" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY id=MailContainerBody
style="PADDING-LEFT: 10px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; PADDING-TOP: 15px; FONT-STYLE: normal; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; TEXT-DECORATION: none; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none"
leftMargin=0 topMargin=0 acc_role="text" CanvasTabStop="true"
name="Compose message area"><!--[gte IE 5]><?xml:namespace prefix="v" /><?xml:namespace prefix="o" /><![endif]-->
<DIV>I have seen any number of studies exploring relationships between poverty
and child maltreatment. I am wondering if anyone knows of any studies examining
the financial impact of out of home placement and/or child welfare
involvement on families:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Depending on states' MA plans, removal of children from the home may equate
to loss of MA benefits for parent ( s), including those who require health care
for chronic physical or mental conditions (note that even if the condition rises
to the level of SSDI/SSI eligibility, many disability applications take a couple
of years before a favorable decision is reached, and even when the decision is
made logjams in the SSA are delaying delivery of benefits). </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Families may lose housing assistance and become homeless. Other benefits,
such as TANF or food stamps, may also be lost. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>States are mandated to seek child support orders from parents who have lost
custody, and child support system is increasingly severe with
penalties--interest applied to arrears, possibility of jail time or loss of
driver's license. It is not uncommon to see parents in child support enforcement
hearings whose children have been returned to them but who face legal
proceedings for child support during times when children were in custody.
Typically, due to the time it takes child support proceedings to get underway,
an arrearage already exists at the time the child support order is made. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Parents may risk unemployment when legal proceedings and system
requirements conflict with work schedules and expectations. It is also possible
that stigma associated with chld welfare involvement can impact employment,
depending on workplace culture. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Parents incur costs related to visitation when children are placed a long
distance from home, long-distance charges, postage. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Belongings of children in out of home placement are not safe--may be stolen
by other foster children or misplaced by caregivers or caseworkers. Frequently
there is no reimbursement even when items are expensive. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Legal expenses for families who do not qualify for public defense or who
decide public defense is inadequate legal service. This may include additional
expenses to obtain evaluations or other evidence in connection with legal or
administrative proceedings. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Any studies or proposed studies?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Sheri McMahon</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></BODY></HTML>
</x-html>