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Celebrate Grandparent's Day by Advocating for Caregivers
This year, celebrate Grandparent's Week (September 9-15) by emailing or calling your Senators and House Representative to let them know you support the Kinship Caregiver Support Act. This bill will assist millions of children who are being raised by grandparents and other relatives and other non-relative legal guardians because their parents are not able to care for them.
Dear [ Decision Maker ] , I support the many grandparents and other relatives in California who are raising a family member's child. September 9th was Grandparents Day. As a member of your constituency, I urge you to help celebrate these heroic caregivers and their children by co-sponsoring the bipartisan Kinship Caregiver Support Act [S. 661 in the Senate and H.R. 2188 in the House of Representatives. Kinship care is a situation in which an adult family member, such as a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or other relative, provides a caring home for a child who is not able to live with his or her parents. Subsidized guardianship is another important permanency option for relatives who care for children. The number of states implementing guardianship programs reflects growing national interest in the use of guardianship as an alternative permanency option for some children in foster care, particularly for children who are placed with relatives, who cannot be safely reunified with birth parents, and who cannot, or do not, wish to be adopted. Kinship care and subsidized guardianship programs allow qualified relatives or qualified non-relatives to step in and provide care they may not have been able to provide otherwise because of the financial burdens such a role requires. Additionally, these relative placements may offer an emotional and cultural benefit to children who cannot return safely to their parents and for whom adoption is not an appropriate option. The Adoption and Safe Families Act, enacted in 1997, recognizes placement with a relative or a legal guardian as a permanency option for children in foster care; however, the federal government makes no funds available on a continuing basis to help those relatives care for the children. Representatives Danny Davis [D-IL] and Tim Johnson [R-IL] have introduced the Kinship Caregiver Support Act (HR 2188) in the House. Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) has introduced the Kinship Caregiver Support Act (S. 661) in the Senate. These bipartisan bills create first-time federal support for children living with relatives in guardianship placements. The House bill specifically provides support for both relative and non-relative guardianship placements. These supports help relative caregivers providing for children who have been in foster care for at least 12 months and whose care is paid for in part with federal Title IV-E Foster Care funds. The House bill would also extend this assistance to non-relative guardians. In all instances, the aim is to place the child in the safest and most emotionally appropriate environment as possible. Again, I urge you to co-sponsor and support the Kinship Caregiver Support Act in the House of Representatives.
Sincerely, |
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| Background Information |
The Rise of Kinship Caregiver Families
Nationwide, more than 6 million children—that is, 1 in 12 children—are living in households headed by grandparents or other relatives (i.e., "kinship caregivers").
Kinship caregivers, who often become parents unexpectedly, face unique challenges to successfully raising children, including difficulties enrolling children in school, authorizing medical treatment, maintaining their public housing leases, obtaining affordable legal services, and accessing a variety of federal benefits and services. Almost one-fifth of grandparents responsible for their grandchildren live in poverty.
