The Grand Voice
Summer 2019 
Vol. 3, Issue 2
Top Stories

Generations United Conference Highlights



Earlier this month  Generations United's  hosted a  successful conference in Portland, OR. It was co hosted by  Bridge Meadows ,  a supportive intergenerational community for kinship families.  We put together daily  highlights  for Wednesday , Thursday , and Friday  as well as   conference photo highlights .    


IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse Releases First Round of Approved Programs

Last week the IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse created by the Family First Prevention Services Act released the first list of programs that have met the evidence-based standards, meaning they have been determined eligible for ongoing federal funding reimbursement. Earlier this year the Clearinghouse had announced 12 programs that they were considering for inclusion including two kinship navigator programs. Seven of the programs under consideration were approved and rated by the Clearinghouse this round. No kinship navigator programs have been approved yet. You can find the website with the ratings here. Generations United is concerned that no kinship navigators have yet been approved by the Clearinghouse. We are at working educating policymakers about the implications and continue to advocate for more federal financial support for kinship navigators to help states, tribes and territories develop, enhance and evaluate kinship navigator programs.

Grandfamilies in the News GFNews
Policy in Action PIA

The Administration for Community Living which is coordinating the establishment of the Federal Advisory Council to Support Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children established under the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act (Public Law No: 115-196) is currently vetting candidates under consideration for the council. It is expected that the council members will be selected and convene at least once by the end of 2019.


Additional Kinship Navigator Funds

The Children's Bureau released the application for states, U.S. territories and eligible tribes to apply for 2019 kinship navigator funds. The application which was similar to the application for 2018 funds was due in March. Generations United has requested a list of states, tribes and territories who have received funds and will share it when it is available. A total of 57 Title IV-E agencies received 2018 kinship navigator funding, 46 states, the District of Columbia, 2 territories and 8 tribes. The five title IV-E agencies that did not apply for kinship navigator funding were: Delaware, Idaho, Maine, South Dakota and Chickasaw Nation. If you would like a copy of your state's application, please ask Diane Roznowski at [email protected]. Generations United is actively seeking additional kinship navigator funds for 2020.


In May ,  Senator Bob Casey (PA) and  Congressman  Danny Davis (IL) introduced  the Grandfamilies Act   (S. 1660, H.R.  2967)  which addresses a range of issues facing grandfamilies related to areas ranging of TANF and Social Security to temporary guardianship and housing.  You can find  Generations United 's summary  of the act   here  and Senator Casey's press release  here .  


Also  in May, Senator  Sherrod Brown (OH) introduced the  Family  First Transition and Support Act  which would increase investment and support for child welfare as states transition to th e Family First Prevention Services Act. Among other provisions the bill c reate s  a new kinship placement program fund to expand funding for kinship support services, which help family members raising children pay for essential needs and services, such as childcare, and transportation .   GrAND Voices Member  Melodye James  was quoted in the  press release :  

"This bill reflects the understanding that healthy families are the foundation of a healthy society.  We cannot ignore the layered effect that strained, stressed, toxic family situations have on every level of our society.  And it is wisdom that legislators such as Senator Brown recognizes this and acts to bring about both an awareness and policies that will undergird the most important unit of society . "  

Representative Karen Bass introduced a bipartisan companion bill in the House with Representative Don Bacon. 


Recently the Senate released a  discussion  draft of the Older Americans Act which is up for re authorization. The draft including  eliminating  the  10%  cap o n  serving grandfamilies through  the National Family Caregiver Support Program.  This proposed change builds on recent ly  introduced bipartisan  Supporting Caregivers Act (S. 1146)  cosponsored by  Senators Bob Casey (PA) and Susan Collins (ME) which  would raise  the cap .      


In April, Senators Maggie Hassan (ND) and Susan Collins (ME) introduced  the 
bipartisan  to  help ensure grandfamilies are eligible for services under the Chi ld Abuse Treatment and Prevention Act, known as CAPTA. 


In Massachusetts,  the  government launched a new initiat i ve to help grandparents raising grandchildren access early childhood education programs. You can read their press release  here .  
Grand Voices on the Move GV
Our combined GrAND Voices network  now has 6 8  members representing 4 5  states and 1 1  tribes. Since the last newsletter we have welcomed  Joseph O'Leary (MA)  to the network!

Here are some additional highlights of GrAND Voices activities:


2 2  GrAND Voices  Network  Members  traveled to Portland, OR for the 20 th  Global Intergenerational Conference in June. Above is a photo of some of the members  touring  Bridge Meadows .    


Gr AND  Voice  Mercedes Bristol (TX)  received the 2018 Kathy Cunningham  Mental Health Advocacy  Award  for her work advocating for children's mental health.    




GrAND Voice  Norma Hatfield  (KY)   (second from right in photo  above )  participated in the  Family First Learning Collaborative: 2019 Implementers meeting .


GrAND Voice  Joanne Clough   (PA)  and Generations United's Jaia Lent  were guests on  Grassroots Advocacy Radio with Marsha Padilla-Goad: Conversations to Educate, Empower, and Engage:  The Opioid Epidemic: Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children .   


GrAND Voices Eugene Vickerson  (GA)  and  Bette Hoxie (ME) presented two workshops about working with kinship families during the National Court Appointed Special Advocate conference in Atlanta, Georgia.
Proven & Promising Programs PPP

Bridge Meadows


In June, Generations United partnered with Bridge Meadows to co host the 20 th  
Global Intergenerational Conference in Portland, OR. Bridge Meadows creates and sustains intergenerational neighborhoods for older adults, and families that have adopted children from foster care. Their neighborhoods promote permanency, community and caring relationships while providing safety and reducing isolation for their older adult residents. At Bridge Meadows, youth coming from foster care find loving adoptive parents, honorary grandparents, valued mentors, and an entire community poised to nurture them - creating a sense of hope they thought had abandoned them long ago. Most families living in the North Portland Bridge Meadows location are kinship families.  You can learn more on their website

Do you have a program you would like us to consider featuring? Email Diane Roznowski at [email protected].
Freshly-Baked Resources FBR

Coming soon: The 2019 State of Grandfamilies Report. Stay tuned. 

Adoption and Guardianship for Children in Kinship Foster Care Brief and National Comparison Chart that focuses on adoption and guardianship for children in kinship foster care, so that these children can exit foster care into permanent families.

Grand Resource: Help for Grandfamilies Impacted by Opioids and Other Substance Use provides tips, practical information and a list of additional resources covering five topic areas: Practicing Self-Care,  Addressing Childhood Trauma, Preventing Harmful Drug Use by Children, Engaging with Birth Parents, and Talking with a Child about their Birth Parent. This new resource is designed to help grandfamilies both inside and outside the foster care system impacted by opioids or other substance use.

The archived webinar recording of  Understanding and Appreciating the Challenges and Supports Needed for Grandfamilies and Kinship Families in Early Childhood Education  is  now available. This webinar featuring Generations United was hosted by the Early Childhood Systems of Care Learning Community with support from The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.   

Pennsylvania's Joint State Government Commission released  Grandfamilies in Pennsylvania: "The Second Time Around"  in April.  It cites  Generations United 's  
reports many times  and  also  has some info on why public policy hasn't kept up with the needs of grandfamilies .  

Preliminary results from a new study indicate that a mere 1% of U.S. social service policies impacting children include material regarding healthy sleep education and promotion.   The research abstract was published recently in an online supplement of the journal Sleep .   You can learn more  here .  

In May, Child Trends released the article " The share of children in foster care living with relatives is growing" which discusses Child Trends' analysis of 2017 AFCARS data and their findings.
 
A Second Chance, Inc. released a report analyzing permanent legal custodianship as a permanency option for grandfamilies. The report can be found here.
 
United Hospital Fund released a new publication The Ripple Effect: The Impact of the Opioid Epidemic on Children and Families. It is the first comprehensive look at the successive waves of loss and trauma experienced by newborns, young children, adolescents, and their families affected by opioid addiction. It also looks at the needs of kinship caregivers, typically grandparents, who often step in to care for these children.
 
Generations United: New Resources for Grandfamilies' Advocates by Ana Beltran highlights recent resources and work Generations United has done.
 
The archived recording of Generations United's February webinar on the Children's Bureau's final National Model Foster Family Home Licensing Standards is now available. For details on state and tribal reporting requirements, information on the national model and the NARA Model Family Foster Home Licensing Standards on which the national model "relied heavily" and accorded "considerable deference", see Generations United's FAQ. Also available at www.grandfamilies.org is a crosswalk tool designed to help states and tribes compare their standards with both models.
About 
Grand Voice is a quarterly e-resource for
grandfamily advocates and their allies distributed by Generations United's National Center on Grandfamilies. Grand Voice seeks to highlight key resources, policy updates, action opportunities, and program highlights to inspire and improve services and supports to grandfamilies across the U.S. Sign up for Generations United's weekly e-newsletter, Generations This Week  here .

Do you have something you want to have considered for inclusion in an upcoming issue of the Grand Voice? Please contact Diane Roznowski at