|
We’d like to begin this newsletter by acknowledging Social Work Month. Many of the hardworking professionals who help kinship/grandfamilies are social workers, and we want to thank you for all you do. We’re here to support you! Please use our form to reach out to us with any questions or requests for assistance.
We’re also honoring Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month by calling attention to two of our related resources: Supporting Educational Access for Kinship/Grandfamilies, which includes a section with information and links to help professionals assist caregivers who are caring for children with disabilities, and Caring for a Child Affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), which is available in English and Spanish and can be given directly to kin caregivers.
Please read on for more information about new Network resources and opportunities, as well as publications and opportunities from around the field.
| |
Register for Our Upcoming Webinar! | | |
|
|
Kin-Specific Licensing: Progress So Far
2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. ET
| | |
Since the U.S. Administration for Children and Families issued a final rule in September 2023 giving title IV-E child welfare agencies the option to use kin-specific foster care licensing or approval standards, a number of agencies have made significant progress in implementing this option. Join us for a brief overview of the final rule and the Kin-Specific Foster Home Approval Standards, as well as updates since their initial publication. Learn from the experiences of title IV-E agencies that are piloting the Standards and explore what to consider as you implement them in your state or tribe. | |
|
Presenter
Marina Nitze, Network Subject Matter Expert
Panelists
Lindsay Coleman, Executive Director of Child Programs, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services
Amber Hasler, Program Administrator, Oklahoma Department of Human Services
Jessica Sweet, Caregiver Recruitment, Support and Development Manager, Michigan Department of Health & Human Services
| | |
|
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? | | |
|
EXEMPLARY PROGRAMS
We are excited to continue our announcements of our Exemplary Kinship Program designation recipients by sharing our write-ups of Colorado Kinnected, the District of Columbia's Grandparent & Close Relative Caregiver Subsidy Programs, Project GRANDD (Grandparents Raising And Nurturing Dependents with Disabilities), Project Healthy Grandparents, and Shelby County Relative Caregiver Program at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s Center on Developmental Disabilities.
| |
Click the buttons below to learn more about each of these programs. | |
HUD Section 202 Housing for Intergenerational Families: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
This FAQ was derived from questions asked during a January 9, 2024 webinar that we hosted in collaboration with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regarding a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Section 202 Housing. The NOFO includes $35 million in funding to develop "intergenerational" housing for grandparents and other relatives age 62+ who are raising children. Applications are due by 11:59 pm ET on June 20, 2024. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us to ask any other questions.
| |
| |
|
Southwest Idaho Area Agency on Aging’s Kinship Program: A Holistic Support for the Whole Family
This 14-minute video, prepared by our partners at USAging, presents information about the Southwest Idaho Area Agency on Aging’s Kinship Program. The program provides bilingual (English and Spanish) wrap-around services including case management, support groups, and family events. The video describes each of these program components and shares tips from the program’s two kinship resource coordinators on how they find kinship/grandfamilies to participate in programming.
| |
Click below to access the video in your preferred language. | |
Monthly Resource
Helping Caregivers Address a Parent’s Absence
This resource provides tips to help you advise kin caregivers who are navigating a child’s questions, disappointment, and emotions surrounding their parent’s absence. We are grateful to our partners at ZERO TO THREE for their leadership in producing these monthly resources and to Network Subject Matter Experts and Generations United GRAND Voices Gail Engel and Sarah Smalls for their reviews.
| |
|
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 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
I’m interested in learning more about model programs around the country that serve kinship families and that I can potentially replicate at my own organization. Can you provide some examples?
Response
One of the goals of the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network: A National Technical Assistance Center (Network) is to designate and elevate exemplary kinship/grandfamilies policies, practices, and programs implemented by state, tribal, and territorial government agencies and nonprofit organizations. Check out the list of programs that have already been designated as exemplary by the Network and watch the recording of this week’s webinar, Exemplary Programs in Action, which featured three programs that have received the exemplary designation.
More programs will be added over time, so periodically check the program page or, if you received this newsletter as a forwarded email, sign up to receive it in your inbox every month so that you can stay informed about new resources.
To make an individual request, please complete this form and we will get in touch.
| |
Upcoming Presentations by the Network | | |
|
On Tuesday, April 9, Network Director Ana Beltran, Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe Child & Family Services Director Cheryl Miller, and National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) Director of Government Affairs & Advocacy David Simmons will be presenting a session called “Supporting Relative Caregivers through Improved Foster Care Licensing” at the 42nd Annual Protecting Our Children Conference hosted by NICWA. Also on Tuesday, April 9, retiring Network Subject Matter Expert and NICWA Founder & Senior Advisor Terry Cross and NICWA Government Affairs and Community Development Fellow Mariah Meyerholz will be presenting a session called “Development and Implementation of Tribal Foster Care and Relative/Kinship Care Standards.” In addition to Ana, Network team members Melissa Devlin, Shalah Bottoms, Kylee Craggett, and Maari Weiss will be in Seattle for the NICWA conference and will help to staff the Network's exhibit. If you're attending, we hope to meet you! | | |
|
On Thursday, April 18, Ana, Melissa, and Subject Matter Expert and Management Committee Member Sarah Smalls will lead a workshop called “Exemplary Kinship Practices Supported by Cross-System Collaboration” at the Child Welfare League of America’s 2024 National Conference in Washington, DC. They will also be staffing the Network exhibit throughout the conference, from Wednesday, April 17 through Friday, April 19. If you're attending the conference, please stop by the booth and say hello! | | |
|
From Tuesday, May 21 through Thursday, May 23, Melissa and Shalah will be staffing the Network exhibit at the National Lifespan Respite Conference in Albany, NY. ARCH National Respite Network and Resource Center – which is led by one of the Network’s newest subject matter experts, Jill Kagan – is co-hosting this event with the NY State Caregiving and Respite Coalition and the NY State Office for the Aging. If you're attending, we hope to meet you! | |
What's New Around the Network? | |
Comments Requested: Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting System (AFCARS) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
Children’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Deadline: Tuesday, April 23, 2024
This proposed rule would amend AFCARS regulations, which require title IV-E agencies to collect data on children who enter and exit the child welfare system and report it to the US Administration for Children and Families. This is the data that the Network relies on to know more about children who are placed with relatives in foster care. This proposed rule would require title IV-E agencies to collect important data points related to Indian children placed by state child welfare agencies. Along with our partners at the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA), we encourage tribes, states, and Indian Child Welfare Act advocates to submit public comments. NICWA has a sample letter that you can use to help you develop your comments.
| |
| |
|
Children’s Behavioral Health Policy Academy: Request for Applications
National Academy for State Health Policy
Deadline: Friday, April 26, 2024 at 5 p.m. ET
This policy academy will engage up to six teams of state health officials (e.g., public health, Medicaid, behavioral health, child welfare) to strengthen the continuum of care for children and youth who are at risk of or have serious behavioral health needs. States participating in the policy academy will develop, implement, and/or strengthen cross-sector policy strategies to ensure that children and youth who are at risk of or have serious behavioral health needs have appropriate and timely access to a comprehensive array of programs, services, and supports. Interested states are encouraged to participate in an informational webinar on Thursday, March 28, 2024.
| |
7th Annual Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Online Symposium
National Council on Aging (NCOA)
Thursday, May 2, 2024, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET
This symposium – co-sponsored by the US Administration for Community Living, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration – includes a full day of sessions on how to best meet the mental health needs of older adults. The first breakout session slot offers a session on “Supporting Grandfamilies to Build Resilience,” featuring Generations United's own Jamarl D. Clark, GRAND Voices Mercedes Bristol and Keith Lowhorne, and long-time Generations United friend Larry Cooper. The entire event is free of charge and designed for professionals in the aging network, mental health providers, and anyone interested in ensuring the mental health of older adults. In partnership with Rush University’s E4 Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Disparities in Aging, NCOA anticipates offering free continuing education credit for several professions.
| |
| |
|
Through the Eyes of Grandfamilies: A Conversation with Five Grandfamily Caregivers
Generations United
A companion to Generations United’s 2023 State of Grandfamilies Report, "Building Resilience: Supporting Grandfamilies’ Mental Health and Emotional Wellness," this publication delves into the personal accounts of five grandfamily caregivers, shedding light on their experiences and the solutions that have helped them navigate the complex landscape of emotional wellness and mental health in grandfamilies. By reading their stories, you can gain insights into the strength and adaptability of these families.
| |
Caregiving Youth Survey
US Government Accountability Office (GAO)
The GAO is conducting a survey of young adults who are currently between the ages of 18 and 25 and who, while under the age of 18, helped to provide long-term care for a family member with a health condition or disability. The survey is anonymous, and the responses will provide Congress with important information on the challenges that youth with caregiving responsibilities face and supports that could help address their needs. If you know anyone who may be eligible to complete this survey, please share it with them.
| |
|
Publications by our Partners
Berenice Rushovich and Karin Malm, who serve on our management committee as representatives of our partner Child Trends, Subject Matter Expert Dr. Tyreasa Washington, and two of their colleagues published a blog post entitled “To Support Kinship Caregivers, Systems Serving Children and Families Must Collaborate on Delivering Services." The post briefly provides general information and data and cites several organizations and models that rely on collaboration, including the Network. Additionally, our partners at Child Trends collected the data that informs a new series of policy briefs from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Family Ties: Analysis From a State-by-State Survey of Kinship Care Policies. The Executive Summary and the first brief, “Unlocking Foster Care Licensing for More Kinship Caregivers,” are available now, with more to come soon.
| |
Notable Funding Opportunities | |
|
The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians is now accepting applications for the 2024 grant cycle of its San Manuel Cares Grant, which is open to all tribal governments and tribal nonprofit organizations throughout the United States. Schools (public, private, and charter) and local government agencies in San Bernardino and Riverside counties are also eligible to apply. The program has several specific areas of interest related to education, basic services, health, and Native culture and community. Applications are due by 5 p.m. PT on Sunday, March 31, 2024.
The Community Level Innovations for Improving Health Outcomes grant opportunity is from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This program will support projects to demonstrate that community-level innovations that reduce barriers related to social determinants of health can increase use of preventive health services and contribute to other positive changes. HHS expects to make 14 awards, each for $475,000 to $600,000 per year for up to four years. Applications are due by 6 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 15, 2024.
| |
|
US Census
This article puts a spotlight on data from the recently released report, “Grandparents and Their Coresident Grandchildren: 2021.” The article and report address a variety of living arrangements, including those in which the grandparent reports that they are “responsible” for the grandchildren. In addition to the geographic trends highlighted in this article, the report notes that 18.3 percent of grandparents responsible for their coresident grandchildren in 2021 lived in poverty and about 63 percent were women. Check out the Kinship/Grandfamilies Data page of the Network’s website to learn more.
US Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Child Care (OCC)
This final rule, effective beginning April 30, 2024, makes regulatory changes to CCDF to lower child care costs for families participating in CCDF, improve the program's child care provider payment rates and practices, and simplify enrollment in the child care subsidy program. The final rule also includes technical and other changes to improve clarity and program implementation. A general fact sheet and a tribal fact sheet are available.
Worcester Business Journal
In January, Moses Dixon, the president and CEO of the Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging, became one of 60 people to be named a 2024 presidential scholar. Using COVID relief funding, Dr. Dixon led the formation of the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Resource Center in Worcester, Massachusetts. In this Q&A, he talks about his life and his work.
National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Social Work Talks Podcast
This podcast episode/transcript presents a conversation between host Greg Wright and NASW member Dr. Kristen Lee, an expert on preventing and treating burnout.
The Denver Post
This piece, written by Network Subject Matter Expert and Management Committee Member Gail Engel, describes her personal experiences and places them in the context of the data and experiences of kinship families in Colorado and around the country, noting both the struggles and recent moves toward greater government support.
| | |
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.
|
| | | |
