Action Center    Kinship Caregiver Support Act

Action
Senators Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME) are seeking additional co-sponsors for the Kinship Caregiver Support Act (S.661).  Representative Danny K. Davis (D-IL) and Timothy Johnson (R-IL) have introduced a companion bill (H.R. 2188) in the House and they are also seeking additional co-sponsors.  These Bills would allow thousands of children to leave foster care quickly and safely by giving states the option to use federal funds for subsidized guardianship payments. Educate your local legislators about issues facing grandfamilies in your state and how the Kinship Caregiver Support Act could help by contacting them through the capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 or email mailing them. Click here to locate your legislator. Click here for information on the All Children Deserve a Permanent Family Campaign in support of grandfamilies.

Background
The Kinship Caregiver Support Act both in the House and the Senate are bipartisan.  The Kinship Caregiver Support Act would help grandparents and other relatives raising children.  The bills includes five important provisions to help grandparents and other relatives raising children:

• Establishes a Kinship Navigator Program;
• Establishes a Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program to provide federal assistance to states for subsidized guardianship programs to assist relative caregivers and their children;
• Ensures written notice to relatives when children enter foster care; and
• Allows states to have separate licensing standards for kin and non-kin foster parents, provided both standards protect children and include criminal record checks.
• Expands eligibility for Chafee funds which provide financial assistance to youth aging out of foster care for higher education. New language will include foster youth who exit the system into legal guardianship as eligible recipients.

Connect
Let us know the results of your efforts at publicpolicy@gu.org.  Take a moment to share the date of your contacts, with whom you spoke, and the results of the calls or meetings.

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