The Grand Voice
Winter 2019 
Vol. 3, Issue 1
Top Stories

Join Us in Portland for Generations United's Conference

Mark your calendars:  Generations United is teaming up with Bridge Meadows to co-host the next  global intergenerational conference  in Portland, Oregon from June 12-14, 2019. As the premier conference for professionals to learn, network and share innovative practices and programs in the intergenerational field, this is one opportunity you don't want to miss!  Register here .


Nominations for Generations United Grandfamilies Award Open- Deadline 2/22

Submit a nomination for yourself or someone else to be considered for the Intergenerational Innovation Award, the Grandfamilies Award, or the Brabazon Award for Evaluation Research. Awards will be presented during the 20th Global Intergenerational Conference June in Portland, Oregon! Learn more and submit your nomination. Deadline: Feb. 22, 2019.
 

Congressional Opportunity for Kinship Foster Youth and Alumni

National Foster Youth Institute (NFYI) is preparing for its annual  Congressional Foster Youth Shadow Week Experience  for 2019, and looking for delegates in Washington, DC,  in  June! Applications are due  on Thursday, February 28 .  Click here  to access the  application  online.  We encourage all kinship  foster youth and alumni ages 18-30  to apply.  
Grandfamilies in the News GFNews
Policy in Action PIA

Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act

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 Law received a significant number of nominations to serve on the council. It is expected that the council members will be selected and convene at least once by September 30, 2019.


Application for 2019 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 is similar to the application for 2018 funds. Applications are due by March 15th. See the Program Instruction and related documents. Recorded Generations United webinars about federal funding opportunities for evidence-based kinship navigator programs are also available at the same link.

A total of 57 Title IV-E agencies have received FY 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 email Diane Roznowski at [email protected].


Model Family Foster Home Licensing Standards

On February 4, 2019, the Children's Bureau released final National Model Foster Family Home Licensing Standards, as required by the Family First Prevention Services Act. 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. 

Grand Voices on the Move GV
Our combined GrAND Voices network now has 69 members representing 44 states and 12 tribes. Since the last newsletter, we have welcomed Magdalena Andreozzi (RI), Olivia Chase (DC), and Norma Hatfield (KY) to the network! 

Here are some additional highlights of GrAND Voices activities:

Click the image to play the video.

Jan Wagner, of Michigan, was awarded Casey Family Program's Kinship Caregiver Award.

  • Pat Owens had a letter to the editor published in The Frederick News-Post in Maryland.
     
  • Gail Engel's non-profit Grand Family Coalition, Inc. was awarded the Colorado Non-Profit - William Funk Award for being a leader and volunteer who unifies people and organizations around a cause. Learn more about her. 
     
  • Karen Gillespie was featured in an article from her local paper, Fayette Woman, in Georgia.
     
  • Bob Ruble, from California, was acknowledged in the credits of Instant Family for the insight he provided.
     
  • Sherry Griffin and the Arizona Grandparent Ambassadors hosted Grandfamily Day at the Capitol where more than 40 grandparent and relative caregivers advocated for various policies.
Proven & Promising Programs PPP

New Jersey Kinship Navigator Program


New Jersey's kinship navigator program supports caregivers who have taken on the responsibility of caring for their relatives' children. Local kinship agencies help caregivers navigate other forms of government assistance, determine their eligibility for Kinship Navigator Program benefits, and provide technical support with legal commitments to the child. The program also offers wraparound services and legal assistance to these families. 

The   Children's Home Society of New Jersey's Kinship Navigator Model is one of only two kinship navigator programs currently under consideration for approval by the Children's Bureau's National Evidence-Based Clearinghouse. Programs approved by the clearinghouse will be eligible for federal reimbursement as a result of the Family First Prevention Services Act.

You can hear more about this program from GrAND Member Dolores Bryant in our Eastern Regional Webinar on Using New Federal Funding Opportunities to Develop Effective Kinship Navigator Programs Webinars.

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

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.

ZERO TO THREE recently reorganized their grandparent resources so they're simpler to find. Their Grandparent Resource Center gives professionals tools and best practices for working with families across generations. If you've not already done so, be sure to check out their new short films that showcase how real-life families are coming together across generations to care for our youngest children.

Action Steps to Implement Kinship Provisions of Family First: The American Bar Association, Children's Defense Fund and Generations United have released a new resource: New Opportunities for Kinship Families: Action Steps to Implement the Family First Prevention Services Act in Your Community. Please share the resource with your networks.

The American Bar Association recently released The Indian Child Welfare Act Handbook: A Legal Guide to the Custody and Adoption of Native American Children, Third Edition. You can purchase a copy here.

The American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Foster Care, Adoption, and Kinship Care recently published " Putting Families First: How the Opioid Epidemic is Affecting Children and Families, and the Child Welfare Policy Options to Address It."
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