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03/28/2019 12:01 AMSaybrook District Probate Court Judge Jeannine Lewis announced that a recent change in state law now allows more guardians of children to apply for grants from the state Kinship Fund and Respite Fund. Probate courts have awarded grants to court-appointed guardians from the two funds for more than a decade, but guardians were eligible prior to Oct. 1, 2018 only if related to the children.
The Saybrook District Probate Court handles several different types of cases involving children, including guardianships and adoptions. A guardianship case typically arises when parents are unable to care for their children due to addiction, mental illness, or incarceration. In most cases, probate courts appoint a grandparent or other relative to care for the children. In some cases, courts will appoint a close family friend who has a long-standing relationship with the child.
“The grants are meant to help a child stay in a familiar environment instead of going into the foster care system,” Lewis said. “This program saves the state tens of millions of dollars because it helps low-income guardians pay for the basic needs of the children in their care. Without this support, many more children would be in foster care.”
The Kinship Fund assists guardians in paying for necessities such as eyeglasses, clothing, school supplies, school trips, and sports fees. Often such expenses are paid directly to the providers. Kinship grants are capped at $500 per child or $2,000 per family per year.
The Respite Fund helps guardians with the cost of child care, housing, transportation and food. These grants are capped at $2,000 per year.
Guardians can apply to both funds, but must meet income requirements to qualify. Amounts that are awarded locally are determined in the Saybrook District Probate Court for children residing in the towns of Chester, Clinton, Deep River, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Lyme, Old Saybrook, and Westbrook.
In Fiscal Year 2018, which ended June 30, probate courts statewide awarded $1,175,000 in Family Respite grants to 2,086 children in the care of 1,508 families and $657,394 in Kinship Fund grants to assist 1,922 children in the care of 1,370 guardians.
At their inception, the grants were funded through the Children’s Trust Fund, then through legislative appropriation. In recent years, budget cuts have required the probate courts subsidize the program with revenue from probate fees.
Applications can be found at ctprobate.gov under the Children’s Matters tab. For more information, call the Saybrook District Probate Court at 860-510-5028.