Madison is now 19 months old and in Grant s care.
This makes Grant what is now commonly known as a kinship guardian or kinship caregiver. These people are relatives, mostly grandparents, who are dusting off their parenting skills to raise children whose parents are struggling with a substance use disorder, or other trauma, or who have died. Often, these people stepping up are doing it blindly, not finding resources to help, or even knowing where to start looking. I live in Farmington and have a camp in Rochester, Grant said. My son and his girlfriend were living there. I raised three boys and the camp was always available to each if they needed a place to stay. I knew right away I would take Madison.
According to Hassan, the Help Grandfamilies Prevent Child Abuse Act would: Help to ensure grandfamilies and all kinship families are eligible for services under the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act; Provide additional support to these families to meet the unique needs of children who have experienced trauma, including being exposed to substance misuse; Call for specialized training to help kinship caregivers navigate the complicated supports and services; and Coordinate with the National Technical Assistance Center on Grandfamilies and Kinship Families that Congress created in the American Rescue Plan to disseminate information on best practices used to support children being raised in kinship families within, or outside of, the child welfare system.