The Network Connection

Black Kinship Families and Culturally Appropriate Engagement Video and Key Takeaways Document

This 12-minute video presents a conversation between Karyne Jones, President and CEO of the National Caucus & Center on Black Aging, Inc. (NCBA), and Anita Thomas, PhD, Executive Vice President and Provost of St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Dr. Thomas is an expert on culturally affirming counseling approaches with African American families, and the discussion touches on several important themes. The key takeaways document collects quotes from the video that emphasize these topics. This short video can serve as a brief tool for professional development. We are grateful to our partners at NCBA for producing these resources.

Tribal Fact Sheet

Our partners at the National Indian Child Welfare Association have prepared a tribal fact sheet for Port Gamble S’Klallam, and we have added it to the GrandFacts Fact Sheet page of our website. The fact sheet is full of information and links that will be useful to kinship/grandfamilies in the Port Gamble S'Klallam community, as well as the professionals who work with them. More tribal fact sheets are on the way!

Monthly Resource

Becoming a Grandfamily: First Steps

Our April two-pager provides information for kin/grandfamily caregivers who are not involved with the child welfare system, covering initial steps to take when children come into their care. It is full of vetted links to information, all conveniently collected in one short resource. We are grateful to our partners at ZERO TO THREE for their leadership in producing these monthly resources and to Network Subject Matter Expert and Management Committee Member Gail Engel, a Generations United GRAND Voice, for her invaluable review and feedback.

Federal Fiscal Year 2023 Title IV-B, Subpart 2 Funding Available to Develop and Enhance or to Evaluate Kinship Navigator Programs

Children’s Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Applications Due By April 21, 2023 (Please note that it is short application)

Grants will be distributed by formula to all title IV-E agencies that apply for funding. State and territorial allotments will be based on the average monthly number of children receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, with a minimum award of $200,000. Tribal allotments will be based on the tribal population count of children and youth under age 21, with a minimum award of $25,000. The Administration for Children and Families already has approved tribal population counts, so tribes do not need to submit new population counts for this award. Title IV-E agencies may use these funds to develop, enhance, or evaluate kinship navigator programs, as well as to provide concrete supports and brief legal services for families.

Grand Resource: Help for Grandfamilies Impacted by Opioids and Other Substance Use, Part 2

Generations United

This is a new set of resources that includes recommendations and resources on five topics identified by kin caregivers as uniquely challenging for grandfamilies impacted by substance use. Each resource was written by GRAND Voice Charlotte Stephenson, with several additional GRAND Voices and other experts providing input. The topics are:

• Where to Begin When Children are Suddenly in Your Care,
• Understanding the Impact of a Parent’s Substance Use Disorder on the Child,
• Maintaining Your Mental Health as a Caregiver,
• When A Child Returns to the Care of Their Parent or the Parent is More Fully Integrated into the Child’s Life, and
• Understanding a Substance Use Disorder and How to Support Your Loved One in Recovery.

The creation of these resources was made possible by the Brookdale Foundation Group.

Direct-service professionals can share these resources directly with families.

Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium

National Council on Aging

Thursday, May 11, 2023

10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET

This virtual event, co-sponsored with the U.S. Administration for Community Living, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, is free of charge. The National Council on Aging anticipates that they will be able to offer 5.5 hours of continuing education credit for social workers, in addition to dieticians, nurses, occupational and physical therapists, physicians, and psychologists. Several sessions may be of interest to individuals in the kinship/grandfamilies field.

Lifespan Respite Care Program: State Program Enhancement Grants

Administration for Community Living, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Applications Due By May 15, 2023

This funding opportunity will provide 15 grants of $200,000 to $400,000 to eligible state agencies to support a focus on advancing existing systems of respite care through direct-service activities that proactively expand the state’s ability to provide respite and related supports to family caregivers across the lifespan. Grantees will be expected to build on advancements made under previous Lifespan Respite Care Program grants and focus on incrementally increasing the amount (percentage) of direct services they provide each year of their grant.

State-Specific Customizable Flyers on Medicaid Unwinding

Center for Children and Families, Georgetown University Health Policy Institute

As explained in our resource, Preparing Kinship/Grandfamilies to Respond to Medicaid and CHIP Changes, continuous coverage through Medicaid is ending. Many states have begun eligibility reviews, and some states have begun to terminate coverage. These flyers, available in English and Spanish, include state-specific websites and phone numbers to make it easier for families to find accurate, up-to-date information. They can be posted and handed out anywhere families may see them, including in doctor’s offices, schools, pharmacies, and direct service offices.

2023/2024 Prevention Resource Guide

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

This month is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and this guide recognizes that there are actions we can take as a society and within communities, organizations, and families to address the root causes of child abuse and neglect. The document seeks to highlight the innovative ways that communities around the country are doing purposeful prevention work to help children and families thrive, with a focus on the protective factors approach.

Services to Support Children Living in Kinship and Nonrelative Foster Care 2008-2009

Office of Planning, Research & Evaluation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

This recently released brief shares the results of analyses conducted using data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, Second Cohort (NSCAW II) from 2008-2009. The research groups families into three categories, based on the relationships between the family members and their involvement (or lack thereof) with the child welfare system: voluntary kinship care, formal kinship care, and nonrelative foster care. The research questions focused on the differences between the children and families in these three different groups and their service needs, finances, support received, and access to basic health-related services.