When Ali Caliendo was working with the state of Nevada helping families deal with trauma, she met a woman caring for four children. The woman their great aunt had stepped in to help when the children’s mother was killed and their father was incarcerated.
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.
During Older Americans Month, we celebrate older Americans and the key role they play in sharing the wisdom and experience that inform today’s decisions and actions, and fostering the connection and engagement that build strong, resilient communities. And, we recognize our responsibility to ensure that every American has the opportunity to age with dignity.
The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed tremendous hardships on our Nation’s older Americans. Older adults particularly those from communities of color have comprised the majority of deaths from COVID-19, with more than 80 percent of all deaths to date occurring in persons 65 and older. Many older Americans have also suffered extreme social isolation from being separated from friends, family, and community resources throughout the pandemic. In spite of this, older Americans have stepped up to support their families, friends, and neighbors. They are among our essential workers, volunteers, and donors, bo
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.