Kinship homestudies different?

We both had to be background checked and have a pretty thorough kinship study done. We also had a regular home study done when we because licensed as foster parents to care for our niece.I suppose it would have been easy to hide somethings during the home study process because it was rushed...but I don't know how we could have hid someone living with us or anything like that. The night they brought Niece home to us we literally had to walk though every room of the house and prove windows could be physically opened, there were beds for everyone, food in the fridge and running water. It was 2 am and it was not a good fun time! The kinship study was done over the next 2 days before we went to court. Because we had an inkling that they would be removing Niece (we'd been in contact with the investigator for a couple months) we already had our background checks done and our Adam Walsh checks sent over from Colorado before Niece was placed.

I have done kinship twice. All adults in the household had to go through the background check, even the ones off at college because they were due to come back for the summer. However, with the second placement, they were placed here on an emergency basis without a stipend until we could get everything done. I was a foster parent with another agency at the time, and had fostered for the county before so maybe that was the difference.

Same here.

Not here...the CWs were shocked when I found a criminal record on the fictive kin in Peanut's case...the background check is a joke.Plus the entire homestudy is ridiculous...completely based on a one hour home visit! Don't even get me started on it because I think they should be subjected to the same as everyone else!

I am kinship and had to go through it all. Every member was background checked and my brother who on paper "lives" with me though he works 4 hours away and is only home every other weekend had to write a letter of explanation on a disorderly conduct charge FIFTEEN years ago!! Our homestudy was pretty thorough yet simple but nothing compared to when we got our foster care license. I even asked the SW if she wanted to look in our shed as we have the kind with electricity. She didnt bother which surprised me considering how many stories there are of children being kept in them. Recently another family member took in a kinship care placement (my other cousin's son) and I have NO idea how she passed. Her home is so dirty, she has multiple prior cps investigations, and didn't even have a proper bedroom for him. She abused him according to multiple people and there was another investigation which caused him to be removed. Now he is up for adoption and they OFFERED her the placement and she is taking it for the money. I dont even know what to say about that...

Thanks for replying. How long did it take everyone to get checked?

It took about a month for our background checks to come back and be able to transition my relative to my house. The transition took a couple of weeks. I am unusual in that we have been foster parents for other children as well. The home checks were the same. The only difference in my kinship placements vs my traditional ones were the requirements for medication logs, clothes receipts and allowances. We were not allowed to give the parents unapproved access to the kids but were expected to transport for visits across the state in one case. Every area is different it seems, as is every family. A couple of years ago, a local kinship family was busted for running a methamphetamine lab. I thought to myself, CPS checks my water temperature and somehow they missed a METH LAB?????

We had to go thru the entire process to become a fully licensed Foster home. The only slack they did cut us was placing goober with us as soon as the background checks all came back and the initial home study. We never got the final inspection and or license until 6 months after he was already in our home. I really got the feeling his 1st CW was against us and looked at us as being guilty by association. She kept trying to drag out giving him to us. Huge Thanks to his GAL! She's the one who pushed big time for him m to be with us ASAP!

It took 2 months to get goober back with us.

I am Kinship as well, CYF came to my house, walked through made sure it was safe, running water, food in cupboards. Asked if I had any one else living there aged 14 or over as they would have to be background checked as well as myself. I had to do the child abuse, criminal and FBI finger printing. This was all just to be an emergency kin caregiver. Then when the Kinship foster care agency came 24hrs after girls placed with me, they had to do all of the above all over again as they were responsible for the actual "homestudy" to certify me as foster parent and again said anyone 14 or older living in the home would have to be cleared.

We are kinship, as well. Neice was born on Friday, release on Sunday from hospital (we visited all the days she was in the hospital) and then went to a foster family until we had Court on Wed. That day Judge Ordered her to our custody. During that time we had to do our fingerprints, start the classes (which we still have one left next week- they only set them every so often) and did a mini homestudy. All they did was walk in a visit, ask us some general questions about our family. Looked at the bedroom and that was about all. Not sure if anything else has to be done...we are always the last to know things. lol. We have had many workers in our home tho. Never the CW bc she is 5 hours away and the case isn't being transferred due to their history. I think it mainly feels like alot of them bc she is having Early Steps and there is someone from each department that comes to evaluate and the meet and then therapy, etc. I think we will see less of them now that all of that is into play. Now if we could just get on with the case plan-not that they will actually do anything on it since they straight said they aren't and still have yet to see her at nearly 12 weeks old! SMH...just religuish already! They know 100% she is VERY very loved and taken great care of!! But they want to fight the system to prove they aren't giving up on her...FYI...YOU GAVE UP ON THE LAST ONE WHEN YOU VOL. SIGNED YOUR RIGHTS OVER! :confused:

Here, they did the fingerprints electronically, so they were back within a couple days. The out of state central registry checks (Adam Walsh Check) took about a week, but that was because I still had good connections with the person who did the checks in my previous state. Seriously...I don't know how this happens. With Niece, my FIL was the legal guardian...he had to have a guardianship study done, I don't know HOW it passed. They lived in a 2 bedroom trailer with 3-4 adults (often times more) and no BED for niece. She shared a bed with her bio aunt and her boyfriend. They had CPS called on them several times, each time they actually passed! FIL showed me the paperwork! I was astounded. It wasn't until we started coming to them with concrete evidence that FIL wasn't even living at the trailer, that he was leaving Niece for weeks at a time with bio aunt (who's lost all her kids to DHS) that they actually stepped up and did something about the whole mess. Pretty sad. I love Niece, and I'm glad she's here...but if someone had done their job 3 years ago when Niece was placed in guardianship with FIL Niece would have never been abused like she was :(

A homestudy is done for those who desire to be certified and or licensed as foster to adopt caregivers or for those who wish to adopt. (kin or not) For a non-certified, non-licensed substitute kin caregiver, a minimal "Substitute Caregiver Approval Process" takes place. The worker is to assess the prospective caregiver's ability and willingness to provide care and supervision of the child and to provide a safe and appropriate placement for the child. I SUPPOSE that yes, THAT piece CAN BE VERY SUBJECTIVE, as it does not require the questionnaires and excessive probing that a licensed foster home would get. TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION- uuuuhm. YES, in that more minimal process, all adults who "reside" in the house must pass the criminal and CPS complaint database checks prior to placement! Also, the primary kin must disclose any previous removal of children or CPS complaints that any such adult has been involved in. There is also a juvie check for any children 12-17 yrs., who reside in the home.

I had a FAS teen boy, 15. His sister was 30+, he had lived with her before, she'd kicked him out. Mom was 55+ and homeless, shelters don't let boys over 12 stay there. He had been living in a "group home" a hidden house for boys who'd been sexually abused to hide from fathers. Because no FP would sign up for him. I inquired, he seemed mild mannered, he was at my place 4-6 months. When it was time for him to leave his sister spoke up for him again. She said she'd broken up with her boyfriend, so there was room for him again. (I don't believe it.) At that time, her dtr, 2-3, plus her brother and brother's 2 children, 8 & 10, were living in her apartment. My FS and his mother were there most weekends, Fri afternoon - Sunday evening. Plus, I'm sure, the boyfriend. That's 8 people, I don't know if it was even 2 bedroom. The CW -- and he was an excellent CW -- told me that even if some of the family members failed the background check, he would have to let the child move there. Because they were related.

Are you sure they did not do it??? Here's the list of everything they MUST do and if they do not, they can get written up and/or sanctioned. [url=http://codes.ohio.gov/oac/5101:2-42-18]Lawriter - OAC - 5101:2-42-18 PCSA and PCPA approval of placements with relative and nonrelative substitute caregivers.[/url] Remember there is a "kin licensing home study" and a 2-42-18 "kin placement approval process". They are two totally different things.