Hello! Friends of Grandfamilies
March is Women’s History Month which honors and recognizes all women who have led and continue to lead our country toward justice and equality. Below you will find some recent updates and resources from the field. If you know anyone who may be interested in receiving these alerts, please forward this to them and/or encourage them to sign up here.
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Generations United
in the NEWS
Our 2022 State of Grandfamilies Report is mentioned in a recent blog post on FRAC's website. The blog post is titled "Show Love for Grandfamilies and Kinship Families in Your Community" and can be read here.
Donna also signed an article published in The Imprint, titled "We're Building a New Path to Prioritize Kin." The article highlights the new proposed rule that eases foster care licensing barriers for relatives. Read more.
Photo: Executive Director, Donna Butts
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Global Conference Updates -
Register Today!
Register for Generations United's Global Intergenerational Conference, taking place July 26-28, 2023 in Washington, DC! Register today!
A limited number of discounted rooms remain at the conference hotel, the Hilton Washington DC National Mall The Wharf (480 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20024, USA). The rate for conference attendees is $246 per night (plus applicable taxes). Please book your hotel room early using this booking link or call the hotel at +1 202-484-1000.
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A Proposed Federal Rule Would Support Kinship/Grandfamilies Involved with the Foster Care System
Generations United is very pleased to share that the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), has proposed that child welfare agencies around the country adopt licensing or approval standards for all kinship/relative foster family homes that are different from the licensing or approval standards used for non-kin foster family homes.
This is a significant move forward for the thousands of children who are placed with kin in foster care and yet do not receive monthly foster care payments to meet their needs – payments that all children with non-kin in foster care receive. This proposed change advances equity for children in kinship foster care, including the disproportionate numbers of children who are Black or Indigenous or living in underserved rural areas.
Generations United is thrilled that we, along with trusted partners, are cited throughout the notice of proposed rule making. Today’s notice builds on work we’ve been doing for well over a decade to promote equitable financial support for children in kinship/relative foster care.
The notice period for the proposed regulation is open until April 17, 2023 and we encourage all stakeholders, including kinship caregivers, youth raised in kinship care, and child welfare agencies, to submit comments here.
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Announcing Global Intergenerational Week 2023!
Join Generations United, The Eisner Foundation and organizations around the world to celebrate Global Intergenerational Week!
Now in its fourth year, this U.K.-based campaign led by Generations Working Together is expanding its global reach! As one of the U.S.-based leaders for this initiative, we invite you to sign up as a supporter and help inspire people, organizations, governments and more to fully embrace intergenerational practices connecting people of all ages, especially the younger and older generations. Learn more here.
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American Society on Aging Conference
The 2023 On Aging Conference of the American Society on Aging, “Advancing Health and Well-Being,” will take place in Atlanta, GA from March 27-30, 2023. Here are two sessions Generations United Executive Director Donna Butts will be participating in, along with Board Member Mark Meridy, who is also the Executive Director of Generations United partner DOROT.
The first session is “Bringing People Together Builds Life Sustaining Connections and Better Community” on Monday, March 27th, from 2:45 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., with speakers Donna Butts, Mark Meridy, Judith Turner, and Ali Hodin Baier.
The second session is the intergenerational program meet up discussion on Tuesday, March 28th, from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. Donna is leading this session to connect with ASA members working to develop intergenerational programming. Learn more about the conference.
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Webinar: Intersection of Kinship Care and Culture: African & Caribbean Communities in America
Our Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network: A National Technical Assistance Center is hosting a webinar with Dr. Hadih Deedat, Dr. Eric Edi, and Dr. Anita Rogers. In this webinar, our panel will highlight strengths, support needs, and service models for working with kinship families in African and Caribbean communities.
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Child Welfare: HHS Is Taking Steps to Help States Support Relative Caregivers with Evidence-Based Programs Report
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is a non-partisan research body of the federal government that has produced several helpful, data-rich reports over the years on kinship/grandfamilies and the programs that strive to serve them. For this report, GAO was asked by members of Congress to examine kinship navigator programs, their beneficial elements, how states are using federal funds for their programs, and challenges these programs have faced in meeting federal evidence-based requirements. Ana Beltran, the director of the Network, and Jaia Lent, the deputy director of Generations United, provided background information for this report. Click here to read report.
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Supporting the Child Welfare Workforce
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Tribal Court Improvement Program
The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity is to solicit proposals for up to seven grants to tribal governments or tribal consortia to improve the handling of American Indian and Alaska Native child welfare cases by tribal courts. The grants will provide support to tribal governments for the following:
- Conducting assessments of how tribal courts (including courts for tribal consortia) handle child welfare proceedings
- Implementing changes to address the results of child welfare court assessments
- Ensuring the safety, permanency, and well-being needs of children are met in a timely and complete manner
- Continuously improving the quality of court hearings and legal representation, including the engagement of parties, through training and efforts to increase substantive and procedural justice
Application Deadline: June 15, 2023, Apply Here
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The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) is launching a survey to hear directly from parents, caregivers, and young people ages 13-24.
ACF is committed to improving the behavioral health (mental health and substance use) of children, youth, individuals, and families. The goal of this survey is to hear directly from parents, caregivers, and young people to inform the development of several behavioral health-related activities and resources for young adults and families.
We look forward to continuing to developing resources with and for young people, parents, and caregivers, and we want to ensure we capture a diverse set of perspectives. Please let parents, caregivers, and young adults in your program know about this great feedback opportunity and share the survey. It is available in both English and Spanish.
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Relatives as Parents Program Grants-The Brookdale Foundation Group
Proposals Due Thursday, June 22, 2023
The Brookdale Relatives as Parents Program (RAPP) aims to develop or expand services for kinship/grandfamilies. Public state agencies and nonprofit organizations from across the United States are eligible to apply. Each selected entity will receive a seed grant of $30,000 ($20,000 year one and $10,000 tier two), contingent on progress made during year one and potential for continuity in the future. States must match the seed grant 100% in cash or in-kind. The RFP proposal and guidelines can be downloaded by visiting our website: www.brookdalefoundation.org.
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Executive Director Donna Butts and GRAND Voices Keith Lowhorne, Mercedes Bristol, and Eugene Vickerson are quoted in an article featured in AARP, titled "When Grandparents Are Called to Parent — Again." The article draws attention to the experiences and stories of grandparents raising grandchildren. Read more.
Photo: GRAND Voice Keith and Edie Lowhorne with their two grandchildren, in Sharon Johnston Park, New Market, Alabama.
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Thanks for reading this newsletter. If you have anything you would like included in future newsletters, please send them to Jamarl D. Clark at jclark@gu.org. We’d love to hear your thoughts on this newsletter. Feel free to reply with any feedback or comments.
Best,
The Grandfamilies Team
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