|
This month, we’re recognizing Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Community Economic Development Month, and Youth Justice Action Month. Please read on to learn about our next webinar, our latest resources, and other news from around the field.
We are thinking of everyone who has been impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. If there is any way that our TA team can be of assistance to you as you recover, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
In the immediate aftermath of Helene, one of our TA specialists checked in with High Country Caregivers (HCC), a program that earned our Exemplary designation. HCC operates in rural North Carolina, and, to provide those outside of Helene's path with a sense of what happened, CFO/Program Director Marty Wilson agreed to let us share her description of the devastation from Monday, September 30, and an update from Friday, October 11:
Monday, September 30
We have attempted to contact all of our families with about 10% able to respond and most of those are in need of something. Many have lost their homes […].
The fears are many, the needs are great. We have lost entire towns nearby and are left wondering how long it will take for fuel trucks or those that supply the grocery stores to get here. There are hundreds of local people that are trapped because their roads and bridges are gone so we're all trying to figure out how to get to them... any of those that require oxygen or meds are literally on the verge at this point.
Friday, October 11
[A]s of today, we have reached all but 4 families with survivalist hikers still in the woods today trying to get to them. Many roads and bridges are still washed out, so we are using ATVs and hiking in on foot to supply more food & water, heaters, kerosene, blankets & warm clothes. We have been told that some will not get power until December and others until February - that makes for a very hard winter. Our Walmart in Boone isn't supposed to re-open until February and the grocery stores in Mitchell and Yancey Counties are probably the same if not longer.
If you would like to donate to HCC, there are prominent “Donate” buttons on their website.
| |
Register for Our Upcoming Webinar! | |
Assessing Kin Caregiver Needs to Provide Responsive Services and Support
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET
Assessing the needs of kinship/grandfamilies is critical to providing relevant services, capitalizing on their strengths, and helping them overcome their challenges. This webinar will explore kinship assessments through several vantage points. It will spotlight the assessment tool used by Washington State’s kinship navigator, how they use it to respond 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. The webinar 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.
| |
Since we launched our LinkedIn page in September 2023, we’ve shared dozens of resources, funding opportunities, and training events. We invite you to follow our page to keep up with our latest news between monthly issues of this newsletter. | |
|
What's New From the Network? | | |
|
Toolkit for Starting a Kin Caregiver Respite Program
This toolkit, prepared in partnership with USAging, offers tips and no-cost resources for Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), Title VI Native American Aging Programs (Title VI programs), and other organizations both inside and outside the Aging Network to develop new or expand existing respite programs or services for kin caregivers and their families.
| |
Promising Practices for Ensuring Kinship/Grandfamily Access to SNAP
This tip sheet, prepared with our subject matter experts at the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), offers key ways that stakeholders – including SNAP advocates, kinship advocates, and SNAP agency staff – can work to ensure that additional eligible kinship/grandfamilies are connected to SNAP. The tip sheet highlights opportunities related to policy, outreach, and partnership that should be leveraged to expand SNAP access and maximize benefits for kinship/grandfamilies.
| |
| |
|
Catawba Indian Nation GrandFacts
Our partners at the National Indian Child Welfare Association have prepared their sixth tribal GrandFacts Fact Sheet with the Network. All six can be found at https://www.gksnetwork.org/grandfacts-fact-sheets/. The fact sheet focuses on programs and services available from Catawba Indian Nation, the only federally recognized tribe in South Carolina. It is full of information and links that will be useful to kinship/grandfamilies and the professionals who work with them.
| | |
Have you seen our new, two-minute video about kinship/grandfamilies, Generations United, and the Network? Check it out on LinkedIn and please share it! We’d also love to read your comments. | |
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. | |
|
|
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
I am wondering if you are aware of training for kinship navigators?
Response
We have multiple resources that would be great tools for training kinship navigators and other professionals serving kinship families.
For a basic introduction to grandfamilies, our Grandfamilies 101 - A 90-Minute Workshop for Organizations Partnering with Grandfamilies series and materials may be helpful.
We conducted a webinar – Legal Relationships and Public Benefits for Kinship/Grandfamilies – which explores the various legal relationship options and the array of public benefits and tax credits that are available to the families. Download a fillable presentation template adapted from this presentation to add state-specific information and train both staff and stakeholders, including the caregivers, on legal options and public benefits.
We also compiled a list of Relevant Trainings for Kin Caregivers and Those Who Work With Them. Some are fee-based and some are free.
Lastly, check out our full resource library and filter our resources by topic to find tip sheets and toolkits to educate professionals and help them better serve kinship families.
To make an individual request, please complete this form and we will get in touch.
| |
|
Helping make connections – that’s what we pride ourselves on at the Network! The Network is guided by the principle that the best way to serve kinship families is to connect government systems and nonprofit community providers and leverage existing assets.
Network staff members were thrilled to join Idaho stakeholders for the second on-site visit of our Bridging Systems for Kinship Families work. It was a true pleasure to share space with committed professionals and learn together about all the existing resources that can support kin in Idaho. That collective knowledge is being captured in asset mapping so stakeholders can build on the good that already exists to better serve all kinship families.
| | |
|
A group photo from the Network's first on-site visit to Idaho (June 2024) | |
Presentations by the Network | | |
|
On Thursday, November 14, TA Specialist Shalah Bottoms will join the Utah Kinship Coalition's monthly meeting for a brief discussion about the Network and how to utilize our services and resources. Contact us if your agency or organization wants a similar short presentation from a member of our TA team. | |
What's New Around the Network? | |
Webinar – Alternatives to Traditional CPS Investigations
Bipartisan Policy Center
Wednesday, October 23, 2024, at 3:45 p.m. ET
Child welfare systems are exploring reforms to advance the dual mission of keeping children safe and strengthening families. This webinar will present two panel discussions, one with birth parent advocates and leaders and one with a child welfare director, a foundation official, an expert on alternative/differential response, and a researcher.
| |
| |
|
Webinar – Intergenerational Housing Blueprint Release
Generations United
Thursday, October 24, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. ET
Join Generations United for the release of Healthier Lives Across Generations: A Blueprint for Intergenerational Living. The webinar will unveil strategies for cultivating intergenerational living and creating safe and sustainable housing that improves health and well-being for all generations. Derenda Schubert, the executive director of Bridge Meadows, a Network-designated Exemplary program, will moderate one of the panels.
| |
Webinar Series – Blending and Braiding: How to Make it Easier to Use Different Funding Streams to Meet the Needs of the Whole Child
U.S. Department of Education
Next Session: Wednesday, October 30, 2024,
at 1:00 p.m. ET
This webinar series seeks to increase awareness and understanding of how to blend and braid federal, state, and local funds to implement whole child approaches to education and make it easier for these services to be provided and for students and families to access them. It will also identify how federal funds can be used to sustain whole child investments that started with American Rescue Plan Act funds.
| |
| |
|
Call for Applications: Caregiving State Policy Learning Collaborative
National Academy for State Health Policy
Application Deadline: Friday, November 1, 2024,
at 5:00 p.m. ET
This 18-month learning collaborative, supported by The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, will begin on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, and will include up to 16 states. Participating states will share best practices and opportunities to strengthen policies and strategies to improve family caregiver policy, building upon action steps in the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers, which explicitly includes kin caregivers. States will also learn from subject matter experts.
| |
Webinar – Importance of Maintaining Contact with Kin, Culture and Community for Youth in Foster Care
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
Tuesday, November 19, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. ET
This webinar will explore how family, culture, and community positively impact youth well-being and resilience. Through real-life examples and evidence, learn about why it is crucial to preserve these bonds when a child is placed in foster care. Walk away with practical tips on involving children and youth in planning their future, showing how this approach can lead to legal permanency.
| |
| |
|
Caregiver Nation Summit in Washington, DC
National Alliance for Caregiving
Wednesday & Thursday, November 20 & 21, 2024
This no-cost event seeks to support education and advocacy; raise the visibility of family caregivers, including kin caregivers; and build a community that fosters collaboration and partnerships.
| |
Register and Submit a Session Proposal for the Generations United 2025 Conference in Louisville, KY
Generations United
Generations United’s 23rd Biennial Global Conference, co-hosted by Harbor House, will be June 25-27, 2025. Registration is now open, with early bird registration rates in effect!
Generations United is seeking proposals for educational sessions that will enhance attendees’ capacity for developing kinship/ grandfamilies practices, programs, and policies. The deadline to submit a proposal is Monday, December 2, 2024 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
| |
| |
|
Call for Submissions: Caregiver Services and Supports Innovation Hub
USAging
This online clearinghouse seeks to highlight impactful programs and foster the development of innovative caregiver services and supports in the Aging Network. Each submission will undergo a thorough review and vetting process. The Network encourages kin-serving programs, services, and interventions to apply to join this hub so that others can learn about the services they offer.
| |
Report – Kinship Policy Improvements Toward Child Welfare System Transformation
Annie E. Casey Foundation
This report is part five of a five-part series, Family Ties: Analysis From a State-By-State Survey of Kinship Care Policies, produced by the Annie E. Casey Foundation after the Foundation worked with Child Trends to survey state child welfare administrators. This publication shares the 2022 survey results, which help to advance the field’s understanding of what states are doing to find, inform, and partner with kin when children enter foster care.
| |
| |
|
Two New Kinship Reports
Think of Us
Think of Us has released two new reports.
“Kin, First and Foremost: Challenges, Opportunities, and the Path Forward for Kinship Care” is a study on strengthening kinship care in the child welfare system, based on extensive field research with over 500 participants, including youth, kin, parents, agency staff, service providers, and legal professionals.
“Kinship Care Literature Review” provides an overview of what we know about kinship care, what we do not know, and what the next steps for research are.
| |
Training, Coaching & Beyond: Building a Foundation to Support Kinship Services
Family Focused Treatment Association
This new guide is based on the Family Focused Treatment Association’s development of a Kinship Therapeutic Foster Care (KTFC) pilot project in North Carolina. The report offers a comprehensive look at the foundational practices that can help agencies support kin caregivers and highlights the training, coaching, and cultural transformation needed to effectively engage and support kinship families.
| |
| |
|
The State of Multisector Plans for Aging in 2024
Center for Health Care Strategies
A multisector plan for aging (MPA) is a state-led, cross-agency, multi-year planning process that convenes a broad range of public and private stakeholders to collaboratively address the current and future needs of all people aging, including those with disabilities. Kin caregivers and their families can and should be included in these multi-agency plans. This report highlights key takeaways and themes from a nationwide survey, to inform policy and planning initiatives across the country at the local, state, and federal levels.
| |
National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers Progress and Impact Report 2024: State and Community Actions
National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP)
This report highlights some of the initial impacts of the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers, serving as a companion piece to the Federal Progress report published by the Administration for Community Living. The Network is proud to be part of the Strategy and pleased to be highlighted within this report.
| |
| |
|
State Medicaid Approaches to Respite Care for Children and Youth with Chronic and Complex Needs
National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP)
This report is informed by NASHP’s 50-state review of Medicaid coverage of respite services, interviews with state health policymakers, and information learned during NASHP’s February 2024 Respite Summit. It reviews key findings about state approaches to respite, including collaboration between agencies, and shares examples.
| |
Notable Funding Opportunities | | |
|
Barclay-Giel Seed Grants from the PHS Commissioned Officers Foundation for the Advancement of Public Health seek to support community-based public health programs. Programs in all areas of public health are eligible for grant funding, with the Surgeon General’s Priorities of special interest. These include topics related to Firearm Violence, Social Media, Health Misinformation, Health Worker Burnout, Social Connection, Youth Mental Health, and Workplace Well-Being. Applications are due by Tuesday, November 12, 2024.
The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation awards grants to organizations for which a small amount of money might make a large difference. The Foundation welcomes requests for support from community-based, non-profit organizations in the United States. Applications submitted by Tuesday, November 12, 2024 will be considered for the Spring 2025 Award Round.
The Older Adults Home Modification Program grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development seeks to assist experienced nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, and public housing authorities in undertaking comprehensive programs that make safety and functional home modification repairs and renovations to meet the needs of seniors with low incomes. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday, November 19, 2024.
The application window is now open for Section 206 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024: State Planning Grants to Promote Continuity of Care for Medicaid and CHIP Beneficiaries Following Incarceration. This federal program, offered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will fund cooperative agreements for a four-year period of performance. The application deadline is Tuesday, November 26, 2024.
The Centene Foundation is accepting requests for support as part of its Fall application cycle. Organizations with deep community expertise and history in healthcare access (including social determinants of health), social services, and/or education may apply. The application deadline is Friday, November 29, 2024.
AmeriCorps VISTA is seeking project applications for programming in any of the five following focus areas: Economic Opportunity, Healthy Futures, Education, Veterans and Military Families, and Environmental Stewardship. The first step in the project application process is the submission of a concept paper. The next concept paper deadline is Friday, December 6, 2024.
The application window is now open for Disaster Assistance for State Units on Aging (SUAs) and Tribal Organizations in Major Disasters Declared by the President. This federal program, offered by the Administration for Community Living in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will fund cooperative agreements. The application deadline is Tuesday, September 2, 2025.
| | |
|
NPR, October 15, 2024
This story - which features Keith Lowhorne, a Generations United GRAND Voice - describes a pilot program in Alabama that will be distributing $1,000 to $2,000 from opioid settlement funds directly to grandfamilies in three counties in the state.
InvestigateTV, October 10, 2024
This news report shines a light on grandfamilies and some of the challenges they face, with a particular focus on housing. It features clips from an interview with Network Director Ana Beltran. To learn more about the approximately 20 housing developments for kinship/grandfamilies, check out the Network’s resource.
The Imprint Weekly Podcast, October 7, 2024
This podcast episode features Network Subject Matter Expert Marina Nitze and a discussion of local implementation of the federal rule on kin-specific foster care licensing. For an overview of that rule, check out the podcast episode with Network Director Ana Beltran, and scroll through the episode archive to learn about other recent federal rules.
Community In-Site, September 26, 2024
This podcast episode features a powerful interview with Network Subject Matter Expert and Management Committee Member Sarah Smalls. She tells her story and discusses the systemic challenges that she and other kin caregivers face.
CMS Newsroom, September 26, 2024
Under Medicaid’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) requirements, eligible children and youth are entitled to a comprehensive array of prevention, diagnostic, and treatment services — including well-child visits; mental health services; and dental, vision, and hearing services. The new guidance reinforces the EPSDT requirements and highlights strategies and best practices for states in implementing those requirements.
WKRN, September 26, 2024
A new state law in Tennessee will increase the number of relative caregivers who are eligible for state reimbursement through the state’s Relative Caregiver Stipend Program. The law removed the income cap that was in place for the program.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Community Living and Office for Civil Rights, September 25, 2024
This letter links to the webpage for the Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 Final Rule: Section by Section Fact Sheet for Recipients of Financial Assistance from HHS. Among other important notes, the fact sheet includes a section on the new rule's application to the child welfare system. This is the first time the child welfare system has been specifically included in Section 504 regulations since the Rehabilitation Act became law over 50 years ago.
Administration for Community Living (ACL), September 23, 2024
ACL, with support from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the National Association of Medicaid Directors, developed a two-page resource detailing the benefits of leveraging Medicaid administrative claiming for No Wrong Door (NWD) System functions. It explains how state and community-based partners can obtain federal reimbursement for activities performed in support of Medicaid, such as application assistance, outreach, program planning, etc.
PBS News Hour, September 16, 2024
This short video highlights Bridge Meadows Intergenerational Housing Community in Oregon, which the Network has recognized as an Exemplary program.
| | |
Please follow the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network on LinkedIn here! |
|  |
All of our previous newsletters are linked on our website, so you can access them anytime. |
| |
Did you receive this newsletter as a forwarded email? You can sign up to get it in your inbox every month! |
| |
Generations United is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. For more information, read our full statement. | |
|
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.
| |
|
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.
|
| | | |
