The Network Connection

VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 11 | AUGUST 2023


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Logo of the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network: A National Technical Assistance Center

This month, we’re promoting our September webinar, sharing four new resources from the Network, and highlighting other information and opportunities from around the field. Please read on for more information.


Please share your latest resources, news articles/blog posts, upcoming events, and other highlights with us. They may be featured in our next newsletter! All of our previous newsletters are now linked on our website, so you can access them anytime.

Register for Our September Webinar!

Calendar page showing TUESDAY Sept. 12

Improving Your Results in Kin-Finding and Placement


This webinar, taking place from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday, September 12, will feature Network Subject Matter Expert Marina Nitze, who will debut the Kin-Finding Toolkit, featuring promising practices that have been helping child welfare agencies across the country to increase their kin placement rates. Every highlighted practice will be accompanied by the real-world tools necessary to its implementation, such as sample policy language and forms.

Learn More and Register for September 12

What's New From the Network?

Black Kinship Families and the

High Cost of Loving


This video presents three separate conversations between Karyne Jones – the President and CEO of the National Caucus & Center on Black Aging, Inc. – and grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. Rhodena Arnold is raising her grandson and her niece and nephew in Chicago, Illinois; Rod Johnson is rearing two of his grandsons in Orlando, Florida; and Shirley Littlejohn is raising three great-grandchildren in Capitol Heights, Maryland. Each caregiver has a different story, different circumstances, and a different perspective to offer, but all three have found that raising their grandchildren leads to both joy and significant challenges.

Video stills of Karyne Jones, Rhodena Arnold, Rod Johnson, and Shirley Littlejohn
Access the Video and Associated Resources
A white grandmother helps her elementary-aged grandson put on his backpack

School Breakfast and Lunch Programs for Grandfamilies and Kinship Families


Our subject matter experts at the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) prepared this resource for kin/grandfamily caregivers. Share this resource with the caregivers you serve to help them learn about eligibility and applications for free and reduced-price school meals and related information.

Access this Fact Sheet

Monthly Resource: Getting the Child You Love the Educational Support They Need


Our monthly two-pager for August centers around school and is designed to be given directly to caregivers, as part of our work to help you support them. As always, this short resource includes links to additional information. We are grateful to our partners at ZERO TO THREE for their leadership in producing these monthly resources and to Subject Matter Experts, GRAND Voices, and management committee members Gail Engel and Sarah Smalls for their helpful reviews.

A grandmother wearing a headscarf reads a book with her young, smiling granddaughter
Access the August Two-Pager
A white grandfather and grandson look at old photos together

Evaluation Resources for Kinship Programs


To accompany our July webinar, “Building Evidence of Success for Kinship Programs: Tips and Strategies,” our presenters – Subject Matter Expert Dr. Angelique Day, of the University of Washington, and Berenice Rushovich, of Network managing partner Child Trends – compiled a resource list and sample data sharing agreements.

Access this Resource

Share This!

In this monthly section, we'll share a tweet or other small bit of information that you can easily copy and share.


This month, we're promoting our September webinar.

WEBINAR "Improving Your Results in Kin-Finding and Placement" / Tues., Sept. 12 - 2 p.m. ET / Presented By Marina Nitze

The @GensUnited Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network is hosting a webinar! Subject Matter Expert @MarinaNitze will debut the Kin-Finding Toolkit, which features promising practices and tools for implementation.


Tues., Sept. 12

2 pm ET


Register: https://www.gksnetwork.org/events/improving-your-results-in-kin-finding-and-placement/


This draft is styled for Twitter; for other social media platforms and newsletters, please tag/mention Generations United and use the full name of the Network (Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network: A National Technical Assistance Center).


The graphic can be copied and included in your promotion. If you use the graphic, please be sure to add alternative text so that people with visual disabilities have equal access to the content of the graphic.

Individual Technical 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 date, we have responded to TA requests from 47 states and territories.

An orange icon with two speech bubbles. The first speech bubble contains a question mark and the second contains a check mark.

To request assistance on the array of issues impacting kinship/grandfamilies, please complete our request assistance form.


Here is an example TA request and response.


Request

My organization is developing a new program to serve kin caregivers. What strategies would you recommend for reaching the families?


Response

Outreach to kinship/grandfamilies can be challenging because some do not recognize or relate to these terms used by professionals. When creating flyers and ads, try using language like, “Are you raising a child of a relative or friend?”


Connecting and partnering with other agencies and organizations is key for targeted outreach. If you’re not already working with these agencies/organizations, here are a few we would recommend starting with:

  • Courts
  • Local TANF and SNAP offices
  • Schools
  • Aging agencies
  • Family Resource Centers
  • 2-1-1 Directory
  • Food pantries
  • Community-based and faith-based organizations


The Network has two recorded webinars that may provide some insight on which organizations to partner with and how to make those partnerships work.


Lastly, partnering with caregivers and individuals with lived experience ensures the services offered are relevant and useful to the families you hope to serve. Check out the resource below for tips on engaging kinship/grandfamilies.

 

To make an individual request, please complete this form and we will get in touch.

Presentations About the Network

A stick figure stands and points to a presentation easel with the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network icon on it

We really enjoyed meeting those of you who were able to attend the Generations United conference in Washington, DC during the last week of July. Thanks to our presenters and attendees, the conference was a big success, and we were so glad to be able to connect with you, help you connect with each other, and learn with and from you.


On Tuesday, August 29, Network Director Ana Beltran will conduct a staff training on adoption and guardianship at the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption headquarters in Dublin, Ohio. The Foundation invited Ana to repeat a plenary session she led at the May 2022 Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Summit. With support from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Generations United has created a brief, a national comparison chart, and 35 state-specific charts that focus on adoption and guardianship for children in kinship foster care. To partner with Generations United to create a state-specific chart, reach out to Chelsi Rhoades, Public Policy & Advocacy Coordinator, at crhoades@gu.org.


On Wednesday, September 13, Network Technical Assistance Specialist Shalah Bottoms will present “Practices and Resources for Serving Kinship Families” at the Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance’s Child Abuse Prevention Symposium.


On Tuesday, September 19, Ana will be on the Kinship Standards Panel at the 2023 NARA Annual Licensing Seminar. NARA is the National Association for Regulatory Administration, a membership organization of foster care and other licensors.

What's New Around the Network?

Icons representing child welfare, partnership, and housing

Child Welfare and Housing Agency Partnerships that Support and Unify Families Through Family Unification Program Housing Vouchers Webinar


CSH and Casey Family Programs


Tuesday, August 22, 2023

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


This webinar will focus on the intersection of housing and child welfare and how Family Unification Program federal housing vouchers can support the well-being and stability of families involved with the child welfare system. Participants will explore topics elevated within the recently released briefs on Family Unification Program family housing vouchers, including partnership strategies and operational guidance for Public Child Welfare Agencies, Public Housing Agencies, and other partners. In addition to CSH and Casey Family Programs representatives, the webinar will feature practitioners from Public Housing Agencies and Public Child Welfare Agencies who will share experiences working with the Family Unification Program.

Learn More and Register for August 22

Children Living in Grandparent-Led and Multigenerational Families: Implications for Policy and Practice Webinar


Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison


Wednesday, September 6, 2023

2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET


While the stays may be relatively short, overall, about 30% of children will live in a multigenerational or skipped-generation household at some point during their childhood. This is even more common for children of color and for those whose adult family members are low income. In this webinar, Natasha Pilkauskas of the University of Michigan, J. Michael Collins of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and LaShawnda Pittman of the University of Washington will examine the scope of the issue and its implications for child wellbeing and security, as well as opportunities in policy and practice to support these children and their adult household members.

Headshots of Natasha Pilkauskas, J. Michael Collins, and LaShawnDa Pittman
Learn More and Register for September 6
Alternating icons representing TANF and child welfare (3 of each, 6 in total) inside an oblong outline

Families Are Stronger Together: TANF & Child Welfare Partnering for Prevention Learning Community (FAST-LC)


Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services


Self-Nominations Due By 6:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, September 7, 2023


This new learning community will center on preventing family involvement in the child welfare system through developing, implementing, and enhancing Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)-Child Welfare innovations and partnerships. The FAST-LC is a one-year initiative slated to launch in September 2023 and conclude in September 2024. It will involve up to 10 state and tribal TANF programs.


Request a self-nomination package and ask questions by emailing TANF-CWLearningCommunity@blhtech.com.

Learn More About this Learning Community

Webinar Recording: Supporting Black Adoptive and Kinship Families


Center for Adoption Support and Education


Available Until Monday, August 28, 2023


The July webinar from the Center for Adoption Support and Education explores the unique dynamics of parenting for Black adoptive and kinship families. Presenter Lynne White Dixon, LCSW Clinical Social Worker, considers the seven core issues in adoption and permanency through an African American/Black lens and provides tools and strategies for supporting Black adopted children and their families, including addressing racism when parenting. There is a CEU version and a non-CEU version, and each costs $15.

Little graphics of Black adoptive families above a larger graphic of a Black grandmother and grandfather with their two grandsons
Learn More and Register
Graphic of a person's head with tangled thoughts both inside and outside, with cupped hands underneath indicating assistance

Practical Guide for Implementing a Trauma-Informed Approach


Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)


This practical guide updates and expands the discussion presented in SAMHSA's Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach Resource from 2014. The primary goal of this guide is to provide implementation strategies across multiple domains.

Download the Guide

Understanding Disabilities in American Indian & Alaska Native Communities Toolkit Guide


National Indian Council on Aging, Inc. and National Council on Disability


This guide contains 11 chapters and a disability etiquette handbook. The first chapter provides an introduction and the following chapters cover health care, sports and recreation, education, independent living, vocational rehabilitation and employment, assistive technology, transportation, accessible housing and facilities, key elements of effective programs, and advocating change.

Coverpage of the Understanding Disabilities in American Indian & Alaska Native Communities Toolkit Guide
Access the Toolkit
30% of AAAs offer social engagement programming specifically for kin/grandfamily caregivers

AAA Social Engagement Programs and Partnerships Fact Sheet


USAging


This new fact sheet from USAging focuses on the social engagement at Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) and notes that 30% of all AAAs offer special programming specifically for kin/grandfamily caregivers. The fact sheet also lists other social engagement programs and activities that are available through AAAs, as well as partnerships that AAAs leverage to provide additional social engagement opportunities.

Access the Fact Sheet

Court Improvement Programs: Collaboration Between Child Welfare Agencies and Legal and Judicial Communities Fact Sheet


Child Welfare Information Gateway, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services


The Court Improvement Program provides Federal funds to State and Tribal courts to support efforts to improve child welfare court practices, including collaboration between courts and the title IV-B and title IV-E child welfare agencies. This fact sheet focuses on collaboration and relationship building between legal and judicial communities and child welfare agencies and provides several examples of successful and promising approaches.

Graphics representing child welfare and justice, with a graphic below of two puzzle pieces joined together and another graphic below showing a continuous improvement process
Access the Fact Sheet
Three icons for mental health care stacked on top of each other

Centering Youth Mental Health: Multi-Year Funding for Local Coalitions that Support Adolescent and Young Adult Mental Health


CVS Health Foundation


Applications Due By 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, September 8, 2023


The CVS Health Foundation intends to collaborate with community-based, multi-sector coalitions that are seeking to create sustainable, systems-level improvements in cities or counties. This five-year initiative will launch in October 2023 in up to four sites across the United States. City- or county-level coalitions will each be awarded a total of $1,000,000 to implement strategies that increase young people’s access to the evidence-based care, programs, and conditions that promote positive mental health outcomes. This initiative aims to bridge care gaps for the most vulnerable adolescent and young adult populations, especially those who (1) identify as female, BIPOC, and/or LGBTQ+; (2) live in communities with limited availability of behavioral health care services; and/or (3) are involved in juvenile justice or child welfare systems. Although kinship/grandfamilies are not specifically listed, may of the families fall within these categories.

Learn More About this Grant and Apply

Whether you are applying for this grant or not, you may be interested in “Partnering with Schools to Improve Youth Mental Health: A Resource for Community Mental Health and Substance Use Care Organizations,” which has just been released by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and the School-Based Health Alliance.

Institutional Challenge Grant


William T. Grant Foundation


Applications Due By 3:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, September 13, 2023


The Institutional Challenge Grant provides up to $650,000 over three years to support university-based research institutes, schools, and centers in building sustained research-practice partnerships with public agencies or nonprofit organizations in order to reduce inequality in youth outcomes. While the program overview does not specifically mention kinship/grandfamilies, it encourages applications related to the prevention of child abuse and neglect, education, foster care, and mental health, among other topics, and all of those areas are highly relevant to kinship/grandfamilies.

A handshake icon (for parternship) with an arrow leading to an icon representing equality
Learn More About the Institutional Challenge Grant and Apply
Icons for women's empowerment/gender equality, education, food, shelter, clothing, water,health, and internet connectivity

Tikkun Olam Grant


Jewish Helping Hands


Initial Inquiry Form Due by Wednesday, September 13, 2023


The Tikkun Olam Grant provides up to $10,000 to programs focused on economic development and social empowerment, with a particular focus on those demographics that have been overlooked and/or marginalized. Jewish Helping Hands values programs and projects that aim to bring about positive change for groups of all backgrounds and religious affiliations. Areas of focus for 2023/2024 are women’s empowerment, education, food, shelter, clothing, water, health, internet connectivity, and gender equity. Programs serving kinship/grandfamilies often help families in many of these areas.

Learn More About the Tikkun Olam Grant and Apply

News to Know

Network Director Ana Beltran Sworn in as a New Member of the Advisory Council to Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

During the three-year term of the new class of Advisory Council members, Ana will serve alongside an older adult raising a relative child, a grandparent raising multiple grandchildren, an adult who was raised by a grandmother, a person impacted by the opioid epidemic, and other experts from an array of disciplines. For more information, visit https://acl.gov/SGRG.


Central Mass. Agency on Aging Runs Programming as Part of New Center

Worcester Business Journal, July 26, 2023

The Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging, based in Worcester, has a new Grandparents Raising Grandkids Resource Center. Officially opened in May, the Center received $1.2 million in federal funding to support services in areas such as health (mental, behavioral, and physical), housing, nutrition, and the law, at 15 senior centers.


For Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, Their Hearts Are in the Right Place. But What’s Missing?

St George News, August 13, 2023

This article provides data and discusses the joys of and challenges faced by grandparents raising grandchildren. It features several quotes from Network Director Ana Beltran.


ADHD Grandfamilies: Grandparents Raising Neurodivergent Grandkids

This webinar, originally broadcast on April 26, 2023, provides information about ADHD, evidence-based behavior management strategies, and practical tips, all to help grandparents who are raising grandchildren with ADHD.


New National Medicaid School-Based Services Technical Assistance Center Launches  

This new Technical Assistance Center (TAC) seeks to assist and expand the capacity of State Medicaid agencies, local education agencies (LEAs), and school-based entities to provide greater assistance under Medicaid. The Center's work will include convening small group stakeholder calls with target audience members, with a special emphasis on schools located in small, rural communities. The TAC also seeks to develop resource materials tailored to the specific needs of LEAs and their communities.


Dear Colleague Letter from the Children’s Bureau: Using Your Disaster Plan to Advance Equity in Disaster Response    

The Disaster Plan that Title IV-B/IV-E agencies are required by law to submit and update “provide[s] jurisdictions the opportunity to proactively and intentionally use their Plans to address disparities and promote equity in disaster preparedness and response.”

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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.



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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.