Celebrating National Kinship Care Month and Grandparents Day | |
To raise awareness about kinship/grandfamilies and their strengths and challenges, and to inform people about the Network’s availability to help professionals better serve the families and promote cross-system collaboration, the Network has a new, two-minute video. Please watch and share it! | |  |
In honor of Grandparents Day and Kinship Care Month, Network Director Ana Beltran was honored to be invited to write a blog post for the Administration for Community Living (ACL). In her piece, she explains the Network’s mission, describes the actions we’ve taken so far, and shares some of our plans for the future. Check it out here! If you're on LinkedIn, please react to ACL's post sharing the blog. In further celebration of all grandparents do for children and families, last week Ana was one of the speakers for Grandparents Week 2024, a free, online series of presentations to celebrate and educate grandparents. | |
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Many other federal and state agencies and national and local organizations are celebrating Kinship Care Month. Here are just a few examples:
The September 2024 Children’s Bureau Express, the newsletter of the Children’s Bureau within the Administration for Children and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, features an array of resources to help professionals better serve kinship families. Several highlighted resources have been featured in The Network Connection in the past, but there are also plenty of new resources and information to explore.
The Idaho Department of Health & Welfare, one of out Bridging Systems for Kinship Families partners, is hosting an Idaho Kinship Family Day Celebration on Saturday, September 21, in three separate locations around the state (Boise, Idaho Falls, and Coeur d’Alene).
New Hampshire Family NOW, the podcast of the New Hampshire Children’s Trust, released “The Kinship Episode” on September 4. The episode features kin caregivers, kinship navigators, and a licensed psychologist.
We’d love to see what you’re doing to celebrate Kinship Care Month. Please share with us on LinkedIn!
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Requesting Your Feedback! | |
Earlier this year, we published our Grandfamilies 101 resource, a 90-minute professional development experience that offers a basic introduction to issues frequently facing kinship/grandfamilies, with a focus on helping professionals who occasionally interact with these families better understand their legal, educational, and financial needs. We are seeking feedback on this program and how you are using it in your community. To share your comments with us, please email one of the resource's co-creators, Kathy Kinsner, from our managing partner ZERO TO THREE, at kkinsner@zerotothree.org. | |
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What's New From the Network? | |
Register for our October Webinar!
Join us for “Assessing Kin Caregiver Needs to Provide Responsive Services and Support,” from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. This webinar will explore how Washington State’s kinship navigator program is assessing and responding to kin caregiver needs and how Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe’s Children & Family Services has adapted the tool to align with their Kinship Parenting Program’s values, culture, and practices. It will also feature a discussion of the Kinship Caregiver Assessment in the nationally recommended Kin-Specific Foster Home Approval Standards, as well as a panel of kin caregivers. Following the webinar, we will host a half-hour Q&A session with the presenters. Participants will receive a separate Zoom link during the webinar to join that session.
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Glossary
Cross-system collaboration can be challenging in part because each system uses different terms and acronyms. This glossary seeks to help professionals understand each other better so that they can collaborate more effectively. Please note that we are publishing this glossary now in the hopes that it will be helpful, but it is still a work in progress, and we will be adding more terms. Please reach out to us at info@gksnetwork.org if you would like to recommend additional terms for inclusion.
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Kin Mobilization Learning Collaborative
Each session of the Network’s kin mobilization learning collaborative, hosted in partnership with Subject Matter Expert Marina Nitze, focuses on one practice from our Kin-Finding Toolkit. Guest speakers share how they have implemented these strategies at their own agencies around the country. This webpage contains links to recordings of past sessions, along with resources. If you need assistance with implementing these kin mobilization strategies in your agency, please contact our technical assistance team for help.
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How Relative/Kin Caregivers Can Access Services and Advocate for Native Children in Their Care
Our partners at the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) created this resource as a tip sheet for service providers to share with relatives/kin caring for Native children. It provides guidance to help caregivers access services, utilize them effectively, and advocate for Native children in their care.
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Monthly Resource
6 Great Things About Kinship/Grandfamilies
In honor of Grandparents Day and National Kinship Care Month, this resource lists six things to celebrate about kinship/grandfamilies and contains quotes highlighting the experiences of people who have lived in kinship/grandfamilies.
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Updated Kinship/Grandfamilies Data Page
Using U.S. Census Bureau data, the Annie E. Casey Foundation has calculated updated statistics showing that 2,463,000 children in the United States - 3% of all children in the country - are living in kinship families. The U.S. Census Bureau has also released its 2023 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates for children, grandparents, and grandchildren. This new information is all available on the Kinship/Grandfamilies Data page of our website.
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Individual Assistance Spotlight | |
The Network is responding free of charge to individual technical assistance (TA) requests from professionals who work in systems and organizations that serve kinship/grandfamilies. To request assistance on the array of issues impacting kinship/grandfamilies, please complete our request assistance form. | |
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We answer questions and respond to requests of all sizes. Some questions focus on a very specific topic and/or location, while others are much broader. Below, we share an example TA request and response.
Request
Is there a list of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families programs that do things differently for relatives and kin? Such as not requiring the caregiver to assign child support to the state, bypassing the requirement that a kin caregiver must be related to the 5th degree and allowing non-relatives, or any other exemptions?
Response
Under Federal law, all states are allowed to grant “good cause” exemptions to kin caregivers, so they don’t have to assign child support to the state. Most states don’t do a great job of communicating that exemption. Massachusetts and Wyoming, on the other hand, grant good cause to all kin caregivers. Caregivers in those states don’t have to assign child support collection to the state. Here are the policies in Massachusetts. We don’t yet have materials about Wyoming.
The 5th degree is a state definition, as Federal law doesn’t make that distinction. The Federal government leaves it to the states to define “relative.” There is a chart of state definitions available from Grandfamililes.org. Note that most states don’t open TANF to non-related kin but a few do, and they are highlighted in yellow.
This policy brief, which despite being from 2014 is still fairly current, may also help.
To make an individual request, please complete this form and we will get in touch.
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USAging Innovation and Achievement Awards
As part of the Network’s partnership with USAging, the annual Aging Innovation and Achievement Awards now include categories for Kinship and Grandfamily Support. In 2024, the winner of the Aging Innovation Award in the Kinship and Grandfamily Support category was the Grandparents Raising Grandkids Resource Center at the Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging, Inc. (now renamed Senior Connection) in Worcester, Massachusetts. As you’ll recall, the Network assisted them before they first launched, and we’re so pleased they have been recognized for all they’re doing. The winners of the 2024 Aging Achievement Award in the Kinship and Grandfamily Support category were the Grandfamilies Stipend Program at the Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the Kinship Support Program at Direction Home of Eastern Ohio in Youngstown, Ohio. Congratulations to these three awardees, and to all 2024 Aging Innovations & Achievement Awardees.
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Presentations by the Network | | |
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The Licensing Seminar & Leadership Symposium put on by the National Association for Regulatory Administration (NARA) and the National Workforce Registry Alliance from Monday, September 23 through Wednesday, September 25 will include a presentation by NARA President Donna M. Sabo and Network Director Ana Beltran. Their “Kin-Specific Foster Home Approval: Recommended Standards of National Organizations" session will take place on Monday. | | |
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The 2024 Wisconsin Public Child Welfare Conference, sponsored by the Department of Children and Families, also will be held from Monday, September 23 through Wednesday, September 25. Ana will join Wisconsin’s Britny Isaacs and Holly Telfer to lead a session called “Kin-specific Licensing” on Wednesday. | | |
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Earlier this month, Leland Kiang of managing partner USAging and Network Technical Assistance Specialist Kylee Craggett did a presentation for about 25 members of the Arizona Indian Council on Aging (AICOA), who advocate for elders of the member Tribes within the Inter-Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc. Our partners at the National Indian Child Welfare Association were involved in planning the presentation. During this presentation, Kylee gave an overview of relevant Network resources, then Leland walked through how to best use one of our resources: Guide for Providers: No-Cost Training Resources on Kinship/Grandfamily Mental Health Needs. | |
What's New Around the Network? | |
Webinar – Pathways to Success: K-12 Education Support for Kinship and Grandfamilies
Generations United
Thursday, September 19, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. ET
Join Generations United for the release of the 2024 State of Grandfamilies and Kinship Care report, “Pathways to Success: K-12 Education Support for Kinship and Grandfamilies.” This event will feature key findings from the report; conversations with caregivers, a school administrator, and advocates; insights into the interactive report website; and information about the upcoming release of a toolkit of practical strategies and tools for professionals in the field, created by the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network.
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Accepting Applications: National Lifespan Respite Conference and Innovative and Exemplary Respite Services
ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center
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Call for Presentations Deadline: Tuesday, October 1, 2024
The ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center, a Network Subject Matter Expert organization, in collaboration with the Alabama Lifespan Respite Network, will host the 2025 National Lifespan Respite Conference in Huntsville, AL, from April 1-3, 2025. The conference focus is on respite, and its driving intention is to strengthen and support family caregivers, including kin/grandfamily caregivers.
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Call for Applications Deadline: Tuesday, October 8, 2024
The purpose of the Innovative and Exemplary Services initiative is to establish a registry of programs and services to help advance our collective understanding of what is meant by respite best practices. Respite service providers can apply to be recognized as an Innovative and Exemplary Respite Service.
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Call for Presentations for the 43rd Annual Protecting Our Children Conference
National Indian Child Welfare Association
Deadline: Friday, November 1, 2024
The National Indian Child Welfare Association, a Network managing partner organization, is holding its annual conference from March 30-April 2, 2025, in Orlando, Florida and virtually. The conference is recognized as the premiere national gathering dedicated to tribal child welfare and well-being. The upcoming conference will feature more than seventy 90-minute presentations, selected to lead vigorous dialogue about best practices, current research, advocacy efforts, policy implications, and other lessons learned with over 1,600 attendees. The key areas for workshops are children’s mental health; child welfare, foster care, and adoption services; judicial and legal affairs; and youth and family involvement.
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2024 Report to Congress – Progress Report: Federal Implementation of the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers
The Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregiving Advisory Council and the Advisory Council to Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (SGRG) have released their latest Report to Congress. This report focuses on federal achievements in support of implementing the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers, including progress toward completing the initial 350 commitments. It also describes nearly 40 new commitments made by federal agencies since the release of the strategy.
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2024 Chartbook – Supporting Native Elders in Their Communities: Title VI Native American Aging Programs and Services
USAging
USAging, a Network managing partner organization, has released the results of their 2024 survey of Title VI Native American Aging Programs, and it includes information on services for grandparents raising grandchildren and kinship more broadly. Specific references can be found on pages 3, 13-15, 18-19, and 34. Page 1 of the two-page Fast Facts infographic that accompanies the Chartbook indicates that “Services for elder caregivers of children (grandparents raising grandchildren)” is one of the Top 10 Services that receive support from Title VI funding.
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Notable Funding Opportunities | | |
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DEADLINE EXTENDED AND REQUIRED MATCH REDUCED! The Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP Opportunity is now open to applications. AmeriCorps Seniors RSVP engages people ages 55 and older in a diverse range of volunteer activities designed to meet community needs. Among the priorities for this funding opportunity are initiatives that reduce isolation, improve mental health, and offer peer support. The required match has been reduced to a minimum of 10 percent of total project costs for all applicants. Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, September 25, 2024.
Also from AmeriCorps, the 2025 AmeriCorps State and National Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is now available. Organizations that propose to operate in only one state or territory must apply through the Governor-appointed State or Territory Commissions. Each state and territory administers its own selection process and submits the applications it selects to compete for funding directly to AmeriCorps. State Commissions have their own application processes and may have additional requirements. Applicants in South Dakota, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands apply directly to AmeriCorps because the state of South Dakota and these Territories do not have established Commissions. The deadline for applications is Thursday, January 23, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. ET.
The Community Champions for Disability Health Challenge is a prize competition from the National Institutes of Health and the Administration for Community Living that seeks to engage community organizations and support their initiatives to improve health equity for people with disabilities. Phase 1 applications are due by 5:00 p.m. ET on November 1, 2024.
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KIN-TECHTM and the Washington State Kinship Navigator Program Supported by the Title IV-Prevention Services Clearinghouse
September 17, 2024
Earlier today, the federal Title IV-Prevention Services Clearinghouse announced that KIN-TECHTM, the kinship navigation program of Florida’s Children’s Home Network, and the Washington State Kinship Navigator Program, have earned “supported practice” ratings. With this designation, these programs, and any others that follow their model with fidelity, are now eligible for uncapped federal funding for up to 50% of all costs. Earlier this year, Washington State Kinship Program Services earned an Exemplary designation from the Network. Congratulations to Children’s Home Network and Washington State!
Societies, September 11, 2024
This journal article, written by Brianna Routh, Christine McKibbin, David Wihry, Jennifer A. Crittenden, Ayomide Foluso, and Jennifer Jain, focuses on a study that “examined the face validity of the Family Needs Scale for use with kinship caregivers in rural programs.” Network Subject Matter Expert Angelique Day and Heather N. Taussig served as the special issue editors for the special issue of Societies in which this article was published. The article is open access and available to all.
September 4, 2024
This 52-page report and 2-page report summary share the findings of a nationally representative survey sponsored and analyzed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Economic Research Service.
August 29, 2024
The purpose of this Center for Medicaid & CHIP Services (CMCS) Informational Bulletin (CIB) is to provide additional guidance to states on their obligation to come into compliance with federal regulations on timely processing of Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) eligibility renewals, as well as provide an update to the timeline in which states must complete unwinding-related renewals. To ensure that individuals who are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP retain coverage, and to assist states in their continued transition to regular renewal processing, CMS is providing states additional time to complete eligibility renewals, address persistent backlogs in processing redeterminations, and ensure that states achieve compliance with federal renewal timeliness requirements by December 2025. This CIB outlines the duration and conditions under which states may rely on an exception to those requirements.
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Please follow the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network on LinkedIn here! |
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All of our previous newsletters are linked on our website, so you can access them anytime. |
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Generations United is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. For more information, read our full statement. | |
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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.
We'd love to hear from you! Please send any feedback on this newsletter to mweiss@gu.org.
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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.
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