I.
Name of Grant
Program: Civil Legal Services to Kinship Care Families in Georgia
(Short name: Kinship Care Project).
II.
Legal Authority:
O.C.G.A. §
15-5-24 and Supreme Court of Georgia Order of January 15, 1981 relating to the duties
of the Judicial Council/Administrative Office of the Courts.
III.
Definition:
This is a statewide project designed to provide civil legal services to kinship
caregivers and children living with caregivers who need support to maintain
stable homes and care.
IV.
Scope: Kinship care refers to full-time, non-parental
care of children by grandparents, relatives, and sometimes family friends,
without the assistance of parents.1 Studies show that the benefits of
kinship care are substantial. A Georgia House of Representatives study
committee noted that "[k]inship care families provide a safe, stable, and
nurturing home for children suffering from the trauma of parental separation
and other hardship."2 It
is estimated that informal kinship caregivers save U.S. taxpayers $4 billion
annually by caring for children who would otherwise fall into state
custody.3 Many kinship
families are low-income households and face complex issues. Relatives and other
caregivers often struggle to care and provide for new members of the household,
who often arrive in their care following trauma or crisis. This project will
provide civil legal services to this target population to help caregivers
create safer and more sustainable households and equip caregivers with
resources to stabilize the lives of the children in their care.
V.
Purpose: The
purpose of this project is to provide civil legal assistance to kinship care
families. Such legal assistance helps keep at risk children out of the foster
care system and supports them in homes by providing holistic civil legal
representation. Legal services can help secure legal custody, financial
benefits, healthcare support, educational support, and safe housing.
A. Eligible Services
Eligible civil legal services for kinship families include:
1. Formalizing the relationship
between the child and the kinship caregiver;
2. Services related to the family's economic
security and stability including housing issues, employment-related issues,
problems with access to education, and health care;
3. Helping families access home, school, and
community-based support for children who are living with disabilities;
and
4. Helping families with estate
planning to protect the child's stability if the kinship caregiver passes
away.
B. Excluded
Services
Certain services are specifically excluded from this program,
including:
1. Class action suits;
2. Criminal defense;
3. Deportation proceedings;
4. Juvenile delinquency;
5. Indirect legal services such as attorney
training;
6. Matters to be
adjudicated in courts outside of Georgia; and
7. Other proceedings not related to the
safety, stability, or economic security of the at-risk child or kinship care
family.
C. Eligible
Clients
Eligible clients are kinship care families in need of civil
legal services related to the safety, stability, or economic security of the
child or kinship care family.
D. Eligible Grantees
1. Eligible grantees for these funds are
non-profit corporations registered and in good standing with the State of
Georgia with at least ten years of experience providing kinship legal services
or similar civil legal services in the State.
2. Recipients must also demonstrate they have
the personnel and expertise necessary to deliver the services required, that
their service delivery structure can adequately provide coverage throughout the
geographical area for which the services are proposed, and that they have
sufficient administrative recordkeeping capabilities to fulfill reporting
requirements necessary for the evaluation of these projects.
3. Community partnerships are critical to
achieving success with this program. The applicants must show broad community
support and the support and cooperation of local programs. Letters of support
or other evidence establishing these relationships should accompany
applications.
VI.
General Terms and
Conditions: Grants will be awarded for a one-year term. Each of
Georgia's fifty circuits will be included. The amount of funds available for
distribution to grantees may change each year based on the amount of funds
appropriated to the Judicial Council/Administrative Office of the Courts and
the cost of the administrative oversight of these funds. The grant awards are
generally announced in July.
Grantees will be required to report to the Administrative
Office of the Courts every six months detailing how the grant funds were
specifically used to assist kinship care families throughout Georgia.
VII.
Criteria for the
Award of Grants: The total poverty population in each county
served by the grant recipient will be considered. This number is based on the
most current estimates from the U. S. Census Bureau.
In no event shall a grantee provide legal services to a client
whose income exceeds 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. Special needs
categories (such as homelessness, or rural counties with fewer than ten
attorneys) will also be considered.
VIII.
Directions and Deadlines
for Application: Applications for grant funds
must be
submitted via email to the Judicial Council/Administrative Office of the
Courts at grants@georgiacourts.gov.
Comments may be submitted to the Judicial
Council/Administrative Office of the Courts at grants@georgiacourts.gov or
(404) 656-5171.