FOSTER PARENT VACCINATION ELIGIBILTY UPDATE

As of March 17^th, 2021, the state’s updated vaccination eligibility criteria has expanded.  While not named directly, we believe that the argument must be made to include foster parents, not exclude them.  Included in the updated section for first responders is “Support of Civilian Staff for any of the above services, agencies and facilities”. Among the “above services” included is specifically listed the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), the state’s central highest authority overseeing all child welfare, including foster care services.

The Coalition is interpreting this to include foster parents who have been certified on behalf of OCFS to provide foster care services to children within the care of the state.

While it is a given that foster parents receive payment from either county social service departments or nonprofit foster agencies in the form of stipends, one could argue that foster parents are not considered actual public/government employees as foster parents are not directly paid for their time or the care that they provide.  However, the eligibility list further down also expands on more select workers including “not-for-profit”.

If foster parents are not employed by the state but yet still contribute to the services offered by OCFS though their work then, by default, they are volunteer workers, who are not, in service, for profit.  There is no question that there is a need for the services voluntarily provided for by foster parents. There are over 15,000 children currently cared for by the public foster care system and almost every one of their child are relying on the care and safety provided by one of New York’s certified foster and kinship families.

Furthermore, through expanding those eligible in “Group Living Facility Residents and Staff”, “Paid or unpaid” staff is included in homeless services which does denote the eligibility of the volunteer class. The shared living arrangements of homeless shelters, nursing homes and other housing also include both staff and those living even within unlicensed facilities, again, paid or not. The fact that foster families, perhaps because they are so unique in care they provide, are not specifically mentioned, should not omit them.

We at the Adoptive and Foster Family Coalition of New York very much consider New York State’s foster parents as workers on the front line at our not-for-profit foster care agencies providing an essential service to New York families and children in need of the 24 hour per day care that only our foster parents can provide.  

We strongly advocate that all New York State County Executives include foster family households based on the above eligibility criteria and included them in county based literature indicating that they are entitled to receive a vaccination.  Including foster parents and their household members would ensure that these volunteers can continue this essential work of caring for the state’s most vulnerable children.