Advocacy Update for National Kinship Care Month
Advocacy Update for National Kinship Care Month
National Kinship Care Month in September is where we come together to honor and support our kinship families across the community. Kinship care refers to relative caregivers such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, and family friends doing the work of the child welfare system often with little formal supports and services. For each youth in formal foster care in the U.S., there are four living with relatives. Studies have shown that there are significant benefits to placing children with relatives, such as increased stability as well as maintaining family connections and cultural traditions. There is also strong evidence that children in kinship foster care have fewer behavioral and mental health problems than children in non-kinship foster care.
According to the Alliance for Children Rights, more than 300,000 grandparents are raising their grandchildren and many of them are facing financial hardship taking care of them. To ensure that children and families are being supported both financially and emotionally, Lincoln is proud to serve kinship families through our Kinship Support Services Program in Hayward. Our staff in this program provide critical case management, family navigation, caregiver support groups, children's activity groups, respite care, educational workshops, and much more. Program Manager of Kinship Support Services Program Anabel Rodriguez shares: “I’m inspired by our families’ strengths. Learning about their struggles and seeing how their strengths help them overcome any barriers is inspiring. Seeing the smiles on our families’ faces when they participate in our program activities and knowing that it has made an impact on their families is extremely rewarding. I’m also proud to be part of such a resilient team that continues to be mission-driven. Despite the challenges that the past year and a half has brought, the team’s commitment to supporting Kinship continues to be demonstrated through their impacts. Specifically, Kinship’s 100% permanency rate. Their passion for the families we serve is genuine and compassionate.”
In addition to providing kinship support services, Lincoln’s policy and advocacy team work to advance equity and justice for kinship families, ensuring that they have the services, assistance, and tools to thrive. This year, two state bills have advanced and passed the legislature which could have a positive impact on California’s kinship families. AB 260 will ensure that probate courts and dependency courts work together in concert and protect the due process interests of parents and children, while securing appropriate services and supports for children and relative guardians. The second bill is SB 354, which seeks to authorize the court to order placement with a relative, regardless of the status of any criminal exemption or resource family approval, if the court finds that the placement does not pose a risk to the health and safety of the child.
Relative caregivers are the backbone of our child welfare system, stepping up to fill the gap when challenges take parents from raising their children. Passing bills that support kinship families such as AB 260 and SB 354, along with programs like Lincoln's Kinship Support Services Program, are important to empower families to build strong futures. Together we can create a future where children stay connected to their communities, families, and schools through kinship care.