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Support for
Pennsylvania
Adoptive & Foster Families

Taproot issue 51 - June 2006

Pennsylvania Court settlement clears way for foster care payments to relatives

Until this case was settled in March of 2005, kinship caregivers in Pennsylvania did not receive payments to cover room and board costs, even though non-related caregivers were provided assistance. The ACLU and the Juvenile Law Center of Philadelphia filed the suit in 2000 citing federal and state law, which forbids discrimination against relative care givers. While not admitting any misconduct, the state Department of Public Welfare did agree to the settlement and to make back payments to the plaintiffs

As a result of this settlement, child welfare officials across the state are looking for grandparents, aunts, uncles and others caring for kin placed there by caseworkers. For some, this means they will be able to get foster care payments to help support the abused or neglected youngsters.

Paraphrased from Pittsburgh Post Gazette, March 15th , 2005