The Network Connection

VOLUME 1 | ISSUE 4 | JULY 2022

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Since our last newsletter, we held our final two convenings. On June 16, we brought together government and nonprofit agency leaders and representatives from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin. On June 23, we assembled similar leaders from Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. It was a pleasure to share and learn with and from all of you throughout these convenings. We are excited to continue to collaborate with you! In the fall, we will share a summary of what we collectively learned from the convenings.

Please share your latest news, upcoming events, and highlights with us. They may be featured in our next newsletter!

Please Take Our Short Social Media Survey!

The Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network Project Assistant received a promotion and is now serving as the Network’s Technical Assistance Coordinator. As a result, we’re hiring a new Project Assistant! Please share this job opportunity widely. We are excited to expand our team and our impact.

In honor of National Kinship Care Month, we have two webinars scheduled for September, both of which are being offered at no charge.

Thursday, September 8, 2022

2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. ET

Dr. Terry Cross (Seneca), pictured, Senior Advisor and Founding Executive Director of the National Indian Child Welfare Association, will present about the keys to effective collaboration.

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. ET

Dr. Joseph Crumbley, pictured, a nationally-renowned kinship expert, trainer, consultant, and therapist, will deliver a presentation called "Family Dynamics in Kinship Families: Implications for Services and Programs."

Later this month, the Network will release an application for agencies and organizations in states, territories, and tribes to submit kinship/grandfamilies policies, practices, and programs to be considered for the Network’s inaugural class of Exemplary Kinship/Grandfamilies Policies, Practices, and Programs. The selected policies, practices, and programs will appear on our website, and we will write and share information about them to facilitate replication by other jurisdictions and organizations. Please be on the lookout for a standalone email inviting you to apply!

On Monday, September 12, Ana Beltran, the director of the Network, will be presenting at the Southeastern Association of Area Agencies on Aging Conference in Florida. The conference will take place from September 11 through September 14, and registration is open through September 9. Let us know if you’ll be there!

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is hosting town halls to discuss the experiences of African American and Black individuals and families who have tried to access ACF programs, including encounters with racism and bias and a path forward for continued communication and valued feedback. Participants will be invited to share their experiences with services such as Head Start, foster care, child support, child care, youth services, and refugee services.

Please note that the QR code on the flyer seems to be incorrect. There is a new registration link that should be used.

Champion Classrooms, a program of the Coalition for Children, Youth and Families, recently created a Relative Caregiver Series learning pathway. The pathway consists of six recorded webinars for relative caregivers, all of which are available free of charge.

Save the date for this town hall, which is designed to be a valuable event for both professionals in the field of kinship care and kinship caregivers. Click on the image of the flyer to learn more.

In honor of National Kinship Care Month, Pennsylvania KinConnector and Dr. Joseph Crumbley are joining forces to share five modules on the strengths of kinship families. Click on the image of the flyer to learn more.

Ana Beltran, the director of the Network, participated in a series of three videos on Advancing a Kin-First Culture. The videos are part of a collective effort by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Casey Family Programs, and community partners to end the need for group placements. The videos are accompanied by discussion guides, discussion questions, and key resources.

This podcast episode focuses on the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families, which has a dedicated family search team and offers caregiver peer mentors and navigators. Additionally, state employees use a customer-service approach in their work with families.

The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and SoundCloud.

“The New Fatherhood: Granddad Who Adopted Grandkids Reflects on Change”

Today



A Today.com Father’s Day story focuses on Generations United GRAND Voice Keith Lowhorne, whose story provides a window into the lives of the hundreds of thousands of grandparents who are raising grandchildren. He and his wife, Edie, reflect on parenting again.

The Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network is the first-ever national technical assistance center for those who serve grandfamilies and kinship families. It was created to help guide lasting, systemic reforms. The Network is a new way to collaborate, to work across jurisdictional and systemic boundaries, to eliminate silos, and to help one another and be helped in return. Thank you for being part of it.



The Network is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $9,950,000 with 95 percentage funded by ACL/HHS and $523,684 and 5 percentage funded by non-government sources. The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government.