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2000 SESSION

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SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 208 Directing the Virginia Commission on Youth to study kinship care.

Agreed to by the Senate, February 15, 2000 Agreed to by the House of Delegates, March 8, 2000

WHEREAS, although the foster care program attempts to assist in maintaining family unity, in some cases in which parents are unable to change conditions in the home, the placement of children in foster care may be necessary; and

WHEREAS, in most cultures, the practice of relatives, or kin, caring for children when their parents cannot is a time-honored tradition; and

WHEREAS, kinship care provides an opportunity to protect children and to meet their needs separate from their parents, yet with their families, while providing an extra measure of continuity and permanence; and

WHEREAS, kinship care must assure the safety and well-being of children and may encompass a variety of arrangements; and

WHEREAS, in some cases, grandparents and other suitable relatives may not pursue kinship care because they perceive obstacles, such as the need to have children declared wards of the state or financial restraints that preclude assuming additional expenses; and

WHEREAS, several states, including Wisconsin, Oregon and New York, have developed and evaluated kinship care programs and options; and

WHEREAS, some existing kinship care programs may contain options that may be mirrored successfully in the Commonwealth; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the Virginia Commission on Youth be directed to study kinship care. In conducting its study, the Commission shall consider means to eliminate obstacles to appropriate kinship care while ensuring necessary monitoring.

All agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide assistance to the Commission subcommittee, upon request.

The Virginia Commission on Youth shall complete its work in time to submit its findings and recommendations to the Governor and the 2001 Session of the General Assembly as provided in the procedures of the Division of Legislative Automated Systems for the processing of legislative documents.