Relating to temporary increase in payment to kinship parent
Summary
SB 544 creates a temporary increase in the subsidy paid to a kinship parent when a child is first placed with a relative or other kinship caregiver. Under the bill, the kinship parent may receive the same subsidy amount as a foster parent for up to six months, beginning within 30 days of placement, so long as several conditions are met: the caregiver must submit to and pass state and national criminal history checks, the placement must pass an initial home screening for fatal life-safety issues, and the Department of Human Services must provide information about child-placing agencies that can help the caregiver become certified as a foster parent.
The bill is designed to bridge the gap between emergency kinship placement and full foster-parent certification. It requires the background check to be initiated quickly after placement, authorizes DHS to collect fingerprints and share records with law-enforcement and federal screening entities for that purpose, and makes the check and related records confidential rather than public records. The caregiver is responsible for the actual fingerprinting and background-check costs, and if certification is not achieved within six months, the temporary higher subsidy ends.
Impact
SB 544 would amend West Virginia child welfare law by adding a new section to the state code governing kinship care payments. It would temporarily align kinship subsidy amounts with foster care subsidy levels for qualifying placements, while also imposing screening, certification, and confidentiality requirements tied to the payment increase. The bill affects the Department of Human Services, kinship caregivers, child-placing agencies, and the criminal-history screening process used for child placements.
Sentiment
The available context suggests the bill is generally supportive of kinship caregivers and child welfare placement stability, with the committee substitute indicating an effort to refine the proposal rather than reject it. No recorded floor debate or vote history is provided, so there is no evidence of organized opposition in the supplied materials. The bill’s structure reflects a policy preference for helping relatives care for children quickly while still requiring safety checks and movement toward foster certification.
Contention
The main points of potential contention are the added screening and cost requirements versus the financial support offered. Supporters are likely to view the temporary subsidy increase as necessary to help relatives take children in immediately and work toward certification, while critics could focus on the requirement that kinship parents pay fingerprinting and background-check costs, the six-month limit on the higher payment, and the possibility that some caregivers may be unable or unwilling to complete certification. The confidentiality provisions and DHS authority to conduct criminal-history checks are also notable administrative features, though no specific objections are documented in the provided record.