Washington, DC –Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today joined grandparents from New York and across the country to honor grandparents and other family caregivers who are raising children. Underscoring that Hurricane Katrina has increased the number of children living with grandparents and other relatives, Senator Clinton called on Congress to pass her kinship care legislation to provide assistance to families where children are being raised by relatives other than their parents.

“Tragically, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the number of children who have been separated from their parents has grown. Grandparents are assuming the responsibility for care and the challenges they endure every day reveal how important it is to provide assistance to grandparents who raise their grandchildren,” said Senator Clinton.

At the rally, Senator Clinton honored the grandparents and other relatives who take on the responsibility of caregiving despite the financial burden and other challenges. Nationwide, there are six million children in grandparent or other relative headed households. In New York alone, there are almost 300,000. According to the U.S. Census, 6.3 percent of all children under 18 years old are living in grandparent-headed households, a 30 percent increase from 1990 to 2000.

Senator Clinton’s Kinship Caregiver Support Act will provide these families with the guidance they need to learn how to obtain health care coverage for the children in their care, apply for housing assistance, locate childcare, enroll children in school, and gain access to other services. It will also make it possible for grandparents and other relatives to care for children who would otherwise be in foster care.

“Too often, abused or neglected children stay in foster care because grandparents or other relatives who want to become legal caregivers are unable to take on the responsibility unless the children are given up for adoption. This legislation will allow relatives to become formal guardians and to receive some financial assistance,” said Senator Clinton.

Finally, this legislation will require States to notify grandparents and other close relatives when children enter the foster care system. Unfortunately, grandparents and other relatives often do not know when their grandchildren or nieces and nephews come under the care of the State. “Notifying grandparents and other relatives when children enter the foster care system will make it easier for families to stay together,” said Senator Clinton.

Senator Clinton has been a strong advocate for family caregivers. She was recognized on September 13 with the Cynthia Rose award from the National Committee of Grandparents for Children’s Rights.

THE KINSHIP CAREGIVER SUPPORT ACT

Nationwide, more six million children—that is, 1 in 12 children—are living in households headed by grandparents or other relatives (i.e., “kinship caregivers”). Kinship caregivers, who often become parents unexpectedly, face unique challenges to successfully raising children. Some of those challenges are financial; others are logistical and/or emotional. This bill attempts to address the full range of challenges facing kinship caregivers.

Title I: The Kinship Navigator Program

Research has shown that one of kinship caregivers' greatest challenges in raising their children is obtaining accurate information about the services available in their communities. To address this problem, this provision provides 3-year grants to state agencies, agencies serving large metropolitan areas, and Indian tribal organizations to create "kinship navigator" programs. These funds will help:

• Establish toll-free hotlines, websites and resource guides on the state and local parenting support available to kinship families, such as how to enroll children in school, obtain health insurance, safeguard homes for small children, overcome legal issues, and find childcare;

• Promote partnerships between government organizations, private not-for-profit agencies, and faith-based organizations to help address the fragmentation that creates barriers to helping kinship families;

• Create kinship care ombudsman who will actively intervene with service providers to help kinship caregivers get the services they need.

Title II: Subsidized Guardianship

This provision will make it possible for kin to serve as permanent legal guardians for children who would otherwise be in foster care. States will have the option to use their Title IV-E funds to provide payments to grandparents and other relatives who have assumed legal guardianship of children they've cared for as foster parents. A few states, such as Illinois and Maryland, have implemented subsidized guardianship waivers through the HHS demonstration project, and have shown them to be a cost-neutral, effective way to keep families together.

• To prevent fraud, families would only be permitted to receive subsidized guardianship payments if the child has in foster care for at least 12 months.

• States will also be required to notify relatives when children enter the foster care system.

This legislation is endorsed by the Children's Defense Fund, the Child Welfare League of America, Grandparents for Children's Rights, Generations United, the AARP, the National Caucus of Black State Legislators and the Evan P. Donaldson Adoption Institute.

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