Transcript The Impact of Kinship on Caregivers, Children, & Family

The Impact of Kinship on Caregivers,
Children, & Family Systems
MGS Webinar
Jan. 29, 2009
Improving lives of grandparents, other relatives
and the children they are raising.
Presenters
MKCA
• Sharon Durken, MS
• MKCA Executive Director
• Statewide Kinship Network
• Advocacy for kinship caregivers
• Education, information, referrals
• Kinship Kid
MKCA Board of Directors
• Sharon Olson
• Grandparent raising Grandchildren
• VP MKCA & GrandFamilies of America
• Children’s Justice Initiative committee
• Sherburne County Safe Child Council member
• MKCA public policy comm. Chair
• Kinship advocate & mentor
Nationwide, there are 6.7 million children living in
relative households, 2.4 million without parents
present. (US Census). 225,000 increase in the past
5 years.
There are 600,000 living in foster homes.
System Overwhelmed
• Nationally if 1 million of the 6.7 million
children living with grandparents or
relatives were in the foster care system it
would cost taxpayers about $6.5 billion
dollars each year. This figure was
calculated based on the Federal share of
the 2000 average monthly foster care
maintenance payment estimated at $545.
•
Generations United 2002
Formal – Informal Kinship Care
Formal or informal
…15% and 85%.
Support &
resources?
Informal-Grandma
got there first.
•Child only grant-$250.00
per month.
Formal-child
protection-county
custody-juvenile
court-foster carebenefits, resources,
case plan, social
worker…
•Impact in Minnesota…
If all the informally
raised kids were in
the formal system….
At home in
Minnesota,
the trend is
staggering.
About 34,000
children live in
homes headed by
grandparents, 19,000
live without the
parent present.
Another 14,000
children live with
other relatives. Total
48,000 children.
How Grand Kids Arrive
• Slowly spend more and more time
with relatives
• Ask to live with grandma
• Are dropped off
• County or police call
• Parents request
• Relative rescues kids
• Sharon O. story
Why Are Older People Parenting Today ?
•Drug and alcohol
•Incarceration
•Death
•Illness
•Neglect and abuse
•Money
•Divorce
•Domestic violence
•Family or community
crises
•Military deployment
Kinship Caregiver Issues
•Coping
•Grief, loss, fear,
anger, resentment,
stress, insecurity,
attachment
•Social isolation
•Stigma
•Who can I talk to?
•Finances
•Tired-respite
•Friends
•Relationships
•Pain
•Parenting
•Different world
•Where to get help
•Living arrangements
Children’s Needs
Stability, permanence,
history, a home
where they belong,
fewer disruptions,
and family ties.
Dr. Rubin’s study
The Impact of Kinship on Relationships
• Unique Relationship Challenges
• Struggle between caregiver and children about the
caregivers parenting role
• On-going conflict between caregiver and biological
parent of the child
• Conflict between biological parent and child
• Time with spouse and other friends or family are
sacrificed
• Jealousy of other family members
• Positive Influences on Relationships
• Providing secure and safe environment for children to
grow
• A closer relationship between caregivers and children
that may not have happened outside of this situation
**Having a strong social and emotional support system is
important for providing quality care to grandchildren and other
relatives’ children.
Support Groups
Why Join?
•Others who share similar
concerns, issues, losses.
•Understanding facilitator
able to focus group
discussions.
•Educational speakers.
•New friends.
•Keeps depression at bay.
•Share health concerns.
•Get advice from others
raising relative children.
•Kinship children
•Dagwood sandwich
generation
•Activities geared to
kinship families
•Small groups
•Others who care
•Listeners
•Non-judgmental
•Peer mentors
Region 6
Minnesota Chippewa Tribe
(covers six reservations)
Region 1
Mahube Community Council
(covers nineteen counties)
Region 3
Child Care Choices
(covers twenty-seven counties)
Region 2
AEOA Rock Program,
(covers thirteen counties)
Region 5
Lutheran Social Service
(covers nine counties)
Special Services
TC Arc – Disability support
The Village Family Services-St.
Cloud- counseling
Region 4
Child Care Resources & Referral
(covers twenty counties)
First Steps: Getting Started Raising
Relatives' Children, a resource guide
full of practical information and
suggestions has been developed for
grandparents and others raising
relatives' children and children of
friends.
Legal Steps provides basic
information on how to get the legal
authority to make decisions for a
child, how to get legal custody of a
child and the benefits and services
available to help care for a child.
NEW…Legal Steps Video, companion to
Legal Steps Manual…order now!!
Resources -Defacto Laws
• MN has model law, 257C effective Aug.
1, 2002. To date, not challenged in
court.
• First state with defacto law: Kentucky,.
• Kinship Support and Navigator Bills
introduced to 2007 & 8 MN Legislature
by MKCA.
2009 Legislation
• Impact of kinship legislation on
kinship families.
• Network advocacy
• Federal legislation
Questions
• What impact do you see on kinship
families?
• How can you address their needs?
• What support does your organization
offer?
• How can the entire extended kinship
family be supported?
Minnesota Kinship Caregivers Association
Contact Information:
161 St. Anthony Ave, Suite 940
St. Paul, MN 55103
651-917-4640
[email protected]
Sharon J. Durken
Executive Director
[email protected]
651-917-4642
Sharon Olson
Grandparent
MKCA Board member
More Resources
• Minnesota Kinship Caregivers Association
• www.mkca.org
• GrandFamilies of America
• www.grandfamiliesofamerica.org
• Children's Defense Fund
• www.childrensdefense.org
• Generations United
• www.gu.org
• CLASP
• www.clasp.org