Tammy Proctor, M.Ed., is the supervisory education program specialist for early learning in the Office of Innovation and Early Learning (IEL), Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) at the U.S. Department of Education (ED). Determine who is eligible to attend and whether transportation assistance is needed. Eligible workers who are raising children, grandchildren, stepchildren, adopted children or foster children can qualify for a larger tax credit if the child has lived with them for at least six months (or for a full year for foster children). In cases of formal adoption, the grandparent may receive additional benefits because of the existence of the minor child. With the rise of the opioid epidemicand other social issues, many parents cannot properly care for their children because of addiction or incarceration. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Go to: www.childrensdefense.org and in the search area, type in kinship care resource kit. TANF cash help Monthly Temporary Assistance for Needy Families payments help families pay for food, clothing, housing, utilities, and other basic needs. Prior to being director, Linda was a representative in the Iowa Legislature for 10 years. She raised her 20-year-old grandson since infancy and currently provides kinship care to grandchildren ages 4 and 3. If they are not able to help, they may know someone who can. Grandparents raising grandchildren face unique challenges as they becomes parents a second time around, and must often navigate a dizzying array of legal, financial, and social challenges as they step in to care for their grandchildren. These general descriptions are not intended as legal advice in any particular situation. She worked for six years with the District of Columbias Commission on Mental Health Services as Chief of the Residential Placement Unit where she worked to bring home children with serious emotional disturbances who had been placed in out-of-state residential care. About 2.5 million children live in these households without either parent present, generally putting the relative in the position of raising the child.1 A . Bette is a strong and passionate advocate for children and their families. If you are a kinship care provider, stepping in when the biological parents are unable or unwilling to safely uphold their primary parental responsibilities: Relationships with Children in Your CareIt is normal for children to miss their parents and want their mother and father to resume primary care of them. Publicize meetings through posters, flyers, press releases, ads, announcements or letters-to-the-editor in newspapers, local TV, and radio. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Grandparents are then subject to work participation requirements. He has given recent testimony on House Bill 14. Kinship caregivers have access to all sorts of valuable resources. National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP)Under the provisions of the National Family Caregiver Support Program, Area Agencies on Aging provide supportive services to grandparents and other relatives age 60 and over who are raising a relative's child. If you are a grandparent or relative caregiver caring for one or more grandchildren, know there are financial, medical, and legal resources and caregiver support available through government, charity, and community organizations. She also had power of attorney for a 15-year-old granddaughter. She prepares and participates in workshops for foster, adoptive, and kinship caregivers. Grandparents raising grandchildren tip 1: Acknowledge your feelings The prospect of raising grandchildren is bound to trigger a range of emotions. Stat. Grand Central provides information and referral assistance, develops neighborhood training and support groups, and advocates for system change by identifying the unmet needs of kinship care providers and ensuring that systems and services for kinship care families are accountable. Positive emotions, like the love you feel for your grandchildren, the joy in seeing them learn and grow, and relief at giving them a stable environment, are easy to acknowledge. Javascript must be enabled to use this site. With careful planning and assistance, kinship care providers can develop skills in coping with this new situation, while strengthening their relationships with other family members and friends. Lent joined Generations United in 2000 and provides direction for its National Center on Grandfamilies, a leading voice for issues affecting families headed by grandparents or other relatives. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. As an organization focused on promoting intergenerational programs and policies, GU addresses the issue of relatives raising children from the perspectives of both the young and old. Where no dedicated services previously existed that addressed the unique needs of grandparent and other relative headed households, staff at these agencies and organizations set out to expand or enhance their existing services. To meet the unique needs of kinship care families in Pennsylvania, exciting ideas are taking root. Remember to celebrate the triumphs and the rewards of raising children. The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) requires child welfare agencies to work with the tribe with which a child is affiliated. The childs kinship caregivers will receive approximately $330 per month. A family caregiver's income is not considered part of the child/children's income. To add information to the directory, go to Intergenerational website. Because it can be stressful, consider grandparents raising grandchildren support groups in your area. Ms. Proctor is responsible for the oversight and supervision of the daily operations, grant making, program implementation and monitoring and accountability activities for the early learning programs. She is a parent co-presenter of the Virginia DFS ARC program, which she assisted in editing for kinship families. The lack of a legal relationship (i.e., foster care, custody, adoption) is a barrier for obtaining services and has resulted in limited access to information and public services, inadequate financial assistance, and difficulty providing medical and educational consent . She is a board member on the Fairfax County Virginia Kinship Family Institute and was instrumental in its founding. There are an estimated 202,000 children in Pennsylvania who live in households. This is the first program in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to offer such services to kinship foster families through a private, nonprofit entity. Harrisburg, PA 17120-2121 (717) 783-0686 Fax: (717) 780-4788 DISTRICT OFFICE: 152 S. Pennsylvania Ave. Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702 (570) 825-5934 State Representative Eddie Day Pashinski 121st Legislative District Grandparents Raising Grandchildren A Resource Guide An after-school program offered by the Center for Intergenerational Learning at Temple University for elementary school children in kinship or foster care in Philadelphia. Below are some of the benefit programs available to help grandparents raise grandchildren. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. Financial Assistance for Grandparents and Other Relatives Raising Children NEEDS: Nationally, approximately six million children live in households headed by grandparents or other relatives. In this capacity, she provides executive direction, leadership, guidance and coordination for ACL programs nationwide and advises the HHS Secretary on issues affecting people with disabilities and older adults. Further, kinship care providers or their friends may feel they no longer share common interests with each other. The council Co-Chairs gave a presentation on overarching themes discussed in the report to Congress, including the five priorities which guided the Councils work. Contact: Sandra Cross, executive director, 215-557-1554. While services to support kinship care families are available in some parts of the state, these services still only exist on a small scale. Let's take a closer look at specific relationships and describe some suggestions for strengthening them. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate who has been serving as the lead social worker for the Healthy Grandfamilies program since 2015. Ask for publications 501, 503, 596, 970, 972. Talk with others who are experienced in getting services. 1U.S. 3. Ms. Barkoff previously served as Director of Advocacy at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, where she worked on a range of disability, healthcare, education and civil rights issues. Deborah Cox-Roush was appointed by the president as director of Senior Corps for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). She has served in many leadership positions at HRSA including director of the Division of Public Health and Interdisciplinary Education and acting director of the Division of Nursing. An agency worker may leave, files may get misplaced, or you may relocate your residence. Course #71583 - $30 5 Hours/Credits. Phone: 202-434-2296. published April 30, 2021. The groups tend to offer social and emotional support for members by providing advice and understanding. She is the recipient of a 7Everyday Hero Award, a Colorado Non-Profit - William Funk Award and the Brookdale Foundation Grandfamilies Award. Additionally, extension educators in county extension offices, located in each of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, are a resource for educational publications, programs, newsletters, and individual assistance on topics including parenting, nutrition and wellness, child care, and other related areas. (Voice) 1-800-986-4550(TTY) 1-800-986-5432, Legal Assistance for low income families . Patrick Donavan has worked directly with kinship families for more than 15 years. www.aarp.org/volunteer. This 18-page booklet discusses the concepts of kinship care, issues, support groups, programs, and resources for organizations working with kinship care families. Financial Assistance for limited incomes . Senior Corps awards grants to nonprofit organizations, community agencies, institutions of higher education, government, and faith-based and tribal organizations to administer these programs to help meet the needs of their communities. And finally, use BenefitsCheckUp.org, a comprehensive website that lets you search for additional financial assistance programs that you may be eligible for, such as lower energy bills, discounts on prescription medications and more. This often means spending less time and attention on a spouse or partner, other children and adults in the family, and friends. Grandparents or relatives caring for children can receive FAP or a Foster Care Stipend. Relationships with Spouse or PartnerStrong relationships don't just happen, they take work. Part of HuffPost News. You will be asked to register or log in. She received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and her Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law. She is also part of the Generations United GrAND Voices Network. According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2014, more than 13 million grandchildren lived with their grandparents. After the initial contact, don't wait to hear back. Write down your own thoughts and questions to ask when it is your turn to talk. Discussion topics include financialassistance grants and local support programs to help you raise your grandparent. . He has presented to a multi-state consortium in Washington, DC, discussing the benefits of a kinship strategy under ProtectOHIO. She has a long history of involvement with community, nonprofit, and philanthropic causes related to women, economic empowerment, small business development, and job creation. This program provides cash and Medicaid. fact sheet developed by the AARP Pennsylvania state office. Free Government Laptops for Families in Need. Depending on the amount of money a grandparent gets (income) and the value of the things they own (resources or assets), the grandparent might be able to get a onetime TANF payment for . She has testified before Congress and the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights on disability rights and was appointed to serve on the federal Advisory Committee for Competitive Integrated Employment of People with Disabilities. Lent leads the national effort to set a unified agenda and coordinates the work of organizations serving and advocating for grandfamilies. Often rather than have the kids taken by the state, many grandparents step in to care for their grandchildren. The PBA LRS operates Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and can be reached by calling 800-692-7375 or 717-238-6807 or visit the Lawyer Referral Service website. Bette Hoxie is the former director of Adoptive and Foster Families of Maine, Inc. & the Kinship Program (AFFM), where she dedicated more than 20 years to helping kinship, foster, and adoptive families. These are the available help from the government. 1-800-986-KIDSPennsylvania CHIP web site, PA Area Agencies on Aging (PA Department of Aging): . The community-based intervention focuses on improving management of chronic disease during visits to the school-based clinic in the neighborhood. Sharon has a long history of advocating for children she is a past president of the Minnesota Kinship Caregivers Association and currently serves on the Minnesota Children's Justice Initiative (CJI) team and the Sherburne County Safe Child Council. In some cases the local authority may pay towards the cost of raising the child if there is a care order in place. There are even education-related tax credits that can help your grandkids go to college, like the American Opportunity Tax Credit or the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit. As of 2017, this number has skyrocketed due to the opiate addiction epidemic in America. Dr. Crowther has built a solid and evolving program of research and a research-based educational portfolio on aging and diversity in urban and rural populations. Yvonne S. Lee, MSW, has been a licensed social worker since 2011. Her work allows her to consider the reduction of health disparities through community-engaged research. Some agencies are overworked and understaffed, and getting an appointment or referral may take some time. Nevertheless, kinship caregivers and the organizations that represent them must work harder to ensure that lawmakers know the many challenges and joys the caregiver families experience, particularly in areas where Pennsylvania law can be improved to promote the best interests of the child and family. Lisa McGuire, Ph.D., is the lead of the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) Alzheimers Disease and Healthy Aging Program, which houses the congressionally appropriated Healthy Brain Initiative. The Advisory Council to Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (SGRG) will be a leader for identifying and sharing resources to support, educate, empower, and advocate for kinship families and grandfamilies. Other times, caregivers may feel so overwhelmed or depressed that a helping professional should be contacted. Although it may not always seem like it, agency workers are there to help you navigate the system. She has worked in each of the CMHS divisions during her time with CMHS. One in ten grandparents has been the primary support of a grandchild at some time in their lives. Since 2015, he has supervised the kinship unit as well as Adult Protective Services. The Family Support Program also provides community based services for at-risk children and families including coaching and mentoring, respite, after school . Grand Central, Inc., operates a resource center that provides information, referrals, family support, educational seminars, and support groups for kinship care families. Dr. Crowther is an investigator in the Institute for Rural Health Research. GrandFamilies Guide. The free clinic serves as a partner to deliver care to grandparents caring for grandchildren without health insurance. For starters, find out whether your family qualifies for your states Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, which may include cash assistance, food stamps and free or low-cost daycare. Will dues be necessary? For more information and resources see the Grandfamilies State Law and Policy Resource Center at GrandFamilies.org. There will be no reduction in benefits because a grandparent cares for a grandchild in any arrangement (power of attorney, custody order, guardianship order, adoption). related to AARP volunteering. Please apply for them to receive Social Security Benefits. The Children's Defense Fund has a kinship care resource kit for grandparents raising grandchildren. Sharon was instrumental in the writing and passage of Minnesotas De Facto Custodian legislation, which was adopted in 2002 after years of research, advocacy, and coalition building. Her clinical and research projects range from individual-based interventions to multi-level strategies to improve population health. Children are living in poverty and grandparents in isolation. The recommendations will inform the development of the National Family Caregiving Strategy, which will include action steps to increase recognition and support for kin and grandparent caregivers. This report outlines the joys, challenges, gaps, and unmet needs faced by kin and grandparent caregivers. Lent received her MSW from Syracuse University and is a licensed social worker. Human service professionals can facilitate this goal by joining together (e.g., forming local kinship care task force groups), sharing ideas and resources, and mobilizing to address the unmet needs of kinship care families. Due to addiction issues, Sonyas son lost custody of his children who were then placed in foster care in Kentucky. New York State Kinship Navigator She is the primary advisor to the Director on geriatrics-related issues and all phases of management responsibilities for the Division of Medicine and Dentistry. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. In the next 24 hours, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails Childcare will enable grandparents to continue to work. See InsureKidsNow.gov or call 877-543-7669 for more information. If you need to flag this entry as abusive. Simply answer a list of questions about your family income, assets and any help with finances you get now. By informing legislators and policymakers about these concerns--in meetings with caregivers in their offices or at support groups, sending e-mails and letters, and attracting media attention--kinship caregivers and their supporters can help promote the change needed to further strengthen and safely maintain kinship care families in Pennsylvania. Contact the Department of Human Health and Human Services to apply. Expand. Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging Web site, The Brookdale FoundationThe Brookdale Relatives as Parents Program (RAPP) is designed to encourage and promote the creation or expansion of services for grandparents raising grandchildren.