Hello Friends of Grandfamilies,
Below you will find some recent updates and resources from the field. If you know anyone who may be interested in receiving these alerts, please forward this to them and/or encourage them to sign up here.
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Read the 2022 State of Grandfamilies Report
There are more than 2.5 million children in the U.S. growing up in “grandfamilies,” meaning they are being raised by relatives (grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, etc.) or close family friends without their parents in the home. Research shows grandfamilies are the best option for children who can’t be raised by their parents. Yet, 25% of grandparent-headed households with grandchildren and no parent present experience food insecurity. That is more than twice the national rate.
Generations United launched the report with an event at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., featuring a panel of grandfamily members impacted by food insecurity. If you missed this fantastic event, you can watch the recording here.
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Photo Right to Left: Michelle Singletary, Journalist & Author, Eugene Vickerson, Generations United GRAND Voice, Georgia, Kathy Coleman, Generations United GRAND Voice, Louisiana, and Chelsi Rhoades, Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, Generations United |
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Media Coverage of the 2022 State of Grandfamilies Report
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Deputy Executive Director Jaia Lent was interviewed on Good Day Seattle (Fox 13) and on WPHM (1380 AM).
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Friend of Generations United and panel moderator Michelle Singletary authored a column in the Washington Post on the report's findings and the grandfamily panel at the release event.
The report was also highlighted by:
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Photo Left to Right: Dr. Sarah Kastelic, Executive Director, National Indian Child Welfare Association, Jaia Lent, Deputy Executive Director, Generations United, and Chelsi Rhoades, Public Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, Generations United
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Generations United joined NICWA in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, for an in-person event during the Supreme Court oral arguments. The United States Supreme Court heard oral arguments of Haaland v. Brackeen, the case concerning the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). The Supreme Court’s decision will ultimately determine whether the 44-year-old law that ensures Native children remain connected to their familial network, culture, and community will remain intact. Learn more here.
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The 22nd Global Intergenerational Conference is coming
- July 26-28, 2023
Generations United's Global Intergenerational Conference will be held July 26-28, 2023 in Washington, D.C. Be sure to save the dates and start planning to join us. This will be our first in-person conference since 2019 and the first time back in D.C. in 10 years. Bookmark the conference website for updates. Want to help make the 2023 conference an incredible success? Join our Program Committee! Please complete this form to volunteer.
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Exemplary Kinship/Grandfamilies Policy, Practice, and Program Designation
The Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network: A National Technical Assistance Center (Network) is seeking to identify and designate exemplary kinship/grandfamilies policies, practices, and programs to elevate good work and share exemplary strategies with others. The Network encourages applications from government agencies in states, tribes, and territories, as well as private kinship navigator programs and other community-based organizations that serve grandfamilies and kinship families. Apply today! For more information, check out the application.
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Legal Relationships and Public Benefits
for Kinship/Grandfamilies Webinar
Our Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network: A National Technical Assistance Center (Network) will host a webinar that will take place on Thursday, November 10, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET. The presenters for this webinar are Ana Beltran, JD, the director of the Network, and Heidi Redlich Epstein, the director of Kinship Policy and State Projects at the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law. Register today!
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Social Security Benefits Overview
The Georgia Area Social Security Administration is working with Generations United to host a Social Security Benefits Overview on Wednesday, November 16, 2022, from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET via Microsoft (MS) Teams. Social Security programs (Social Security Retirement, Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income, and Survivors Benefits) will be highlighted.
This meeting will focus on the following:
- Tips and Tricks to Identify if someone is receiving benefits or received benefits in the past
- Disability Claims Process
- How to communicate with Social Security
- How to request a Social Security Card
- Survivor benefits the individual and the individual they are taking care of
- Online Services
- FAQs
- much more!
To participate in the meeting, please sign up here. After signing up, you will receive a follow-up email with the meeting agenda and MS Teams link. Limited space.
Note: Some items mentioned in the meeting may be specific to Georgia. Information will be given on contacting other states' Health Insurance Assistance programs.
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Raising the Bar with the National Standards for Family-School Partnerships: A Virtual Town Hall
Join National PTA, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Association for Elementary School Principals, and more leading education organizations to celebrate National Parent Involvement Day in a virtual town hall on November 17th at 7 PM EST.
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Supporting Children and Youth Dealing with the Loss of a Parent or Caregiver
Register now for Children's Bureau Learning & Coordination Center's Digital Dialogue, Nov 15, 2–3:00 p.m. ET. Losing a parent or caregiver can cascade impacts on a child’s well-being. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a spotlight on the impact of these losses because of the more than 250,000 children who are estimated to have lost a caregiver due to the pandemic. Dealing with loss and adequately supporting a grieving child are issues that predate the pandemic and include children who have lost caregivers to the termination of parental rights, incarceration, and other issues. Learn more about how to work with caregivers so they can best support a grieving child. Register here.
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Kinship Navigator Programs
Around the Country
The Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network: A National Technical Assistance Center (Network) has compiled a list of kinship navigator programs. The list includes entries for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Below the name of each kinship navigator program entry, there is information on locations served, a list of available services, eligibility criteria for families, and a link to the program website or other contact information. Two of the programs included in this list have been rated by the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse: Arizona Kinship Support Services and Ohio's Kinship Supports Intervention/ProtectOHIO. Access the list here.
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Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Facts for Grandfamilies and Kinship Families
This fact sheet, produced in partnership with our subject matter experts at the Food Research & Action Center, Alexandra Ashbrook and Susan Beaudoin, contains three sections: Background Information, Frequently Asked Questions for Grandfamilies and Kinship Families, and Resources to Get Started. It is designed to serve as a resource that both providers and kinship/grandfamilies can use. Access the fact sheet here.
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Office of the Administration for Children & Families Release Brief on Roadmaps to Building Child Welfare Evidence
Child welfare administrators and evaluators conducted evaluations to understand whether, how, and how well programs, policies, and initiatives work for children, youth, and families. The Child Welfare Evidence Strengthening Team (CWEST) aims to increase the number of evidence-based interventions and improve the child welfare field’s ability to build, understand, and use evidence. Click here to read the brief.
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Over 117,000 children and youth are waiting to be adopted and are at risk of aging out of foster care without permanent family connections. Find resources and tools on the National Adoption Month website to help youth achieve permanency. Click here.
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‘An affront to sovereignty’: SCOTUS to hear oral arguments on Indian Child Welfare Act
"The elimination of ICWA would clear the way for the destruction of Native families, Native land and tribal sovereignty." Read more here.
Photo: AnnaMarie White
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Thanks for reading this newsletter. If you have anything you would like included in future newsletters, please send them to Jamarl D. Clark at [email protected]. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this newsletter. Feel free to reply with any feedback or comments.
Best,
The Grandfamilies Team
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