Kinship Care in Alameda County: Highlights from Lincoln’s Mental Health Forum

During September’s National Kinship Care Month, Lincoln Families held a virtual forum on Kinship Care in Alameda County to discuss the state of hidden foster care in the county, the impacts of COVID-19 and remote learning, and how we can move forward together to better serve caregivers raising relative's children.

Panelists included:

Anabel Rodriguez, Kinship Support Services Program Supervisor, Lincoln Families

Donna Austin Moore, Kinship Program Director, Family Support Services

Lily Colby, Foster Caregiver Policy and Support Unit, California Department of Social Services

The event was moderated by Susannah Faulkner, Policy and Advocacy Manager at Lincoln Families and co-author of the statewide policy paper on hidden foster care. Kinship caregivers, direct service providers, attorneys, social workers, educators, and policymakers were in attendance. Read on for highlights from the event.

A VERY STRESSFUL TIME

“It’s a very stressful time. It’s already hard on caregivers, and the pandemic has made everything harder.” - Lily Colby

“We’ve had to advocate for our families and their children.” - Donna Austin Moore

The COVID-19 pandemic has completely disrupted life as we knew it. From public health to economic recession, food insecurity and even greater widespread mental health crisis, the current pandemic has affected all of society—though not equally so in proportion. Marginalized communities, which so often in the United States comprise of people of color, face disproportionate risks. The same rings true for kinship caregivers.

Each panelist brought a wealth of experience and knowledge regarding what is commonly referred to as “hidden foster care,” particularly in the context of caregiving in the current times.

UNPRECEDENTED NEED

“We’re seeing unprecedented need in every area. We’ve talked about mental health, we’ve talked about technology, housing is a crisis. We’re just having more caregivers reach out asking whether they’re eligible for benefits because it’s an extremely difficult time, health-wise, financially, educationally—everything’s a lot harder.” - Lily Colby

“The loss of personal interactions is challenging for our youth.” - Anabel Rodriguez

The term “hidden foster care” encapsulates the difficulty for kin caregivers. With less provisional resources, supports, and processes, these caregivers experience the increased disparity brought by COVID-19. Particularly as educational institutions transition to remote, at-home learning, technological gaps arise for many of these caregivers within Alameda County: ranging from Wi-Fi internet bandwidth issues to complete lack of devices required by online instruction, the forum panelists shared the plights of various caregivers in the midst of the pandemic. Additionally, mental health challenges have increased, namely for the youth, as social interactions and physical support systems are all mainly obsolete.

SILVER LININGS

“In some ways, really, this virtual shift has been beneficial for our families.” - Anabel Rodriguez

“We raised enough money to provide Chromebooks for families in need, being able to provide for every high school student in our summer program a Chromebook.” - Donna Austin Moore

Not to say there are no bright spots! Continually throughout the forum the theme of resiliency—particularly in caregivers and their families—came up repeatedly. Transportation disparities are no longer a large issue for families, as things are now accessible entirely at home. Also, the daunting reality of the court systems and showing up to courthouses have been lessened through recent changes such as court attendance via Zoom. The pandemic has also opened avenues to partnerships with agencies such as the Legal Assistance for Seniors, helping families petition for legal guardianship.

In each of the panelists’ organizations, advocacy, resource sharing, and fundraising were all achieved for caregivers and their families. Money was raised to meet needs, families connected to services, and resiliency seemed to define the past half-year for kinship caregivers. Throughout the virtual forum itself, panelists and attendees shared resources with one another, giving everyone in attendance a clear picture of the days we live in: we all need each other! 

This forum built upon the three year joint project between Lincoln Families and the Alliance for Children's Rights on hidden foster care in California. For more details on this project, including a webinar and full text policy report, please visit here.