Limited Resources for 2.7 Million Children Being Raised by Grandparents

Annie E. Casey Foundation has called on government entities to “do more to support those families and also better publicize existing resources. The foundation said the number of children living with such caregivers increased 18 percent over the past decade, yet those families struggle with often limited resources to meet basic needs.”

“Kinship caregivers face a range of challenges, the foundation said, when they assume parenting responsibility, whether brought on by death, child abuse or neglect, substance abuse, mental health issues, military deployment, incarceration or a parent’s deportation.

Children may have emotional trauma from being separated from their parents, as well as from any abuse or neglect they experienced prior to be moved to a relatives’ care. Relatives also must navigate sometimes confusing requirements to get necessary legal authority to make educational and health decisions for children. Licensing requirements for foster parents don’t always apply.

Kin are more likely to be poor, single, older, less-educated and unemployed, the foundation said, creating additional financial burdens when they become guardians for children. They often aren’t aware of or know how to access government support programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).”

In Utah, the number of kinship cases has doubled in the past 10 years.

Relatives caring for children need more support, charity says

[The Salt Lake Tribune 5/22/12 by Brooke Adams]

See the raw numbers and percentages by state in this one-page pdf.

The top three states for highest percentage of Children in State-Supervised Kinship Foster Care as a percentage of total children in foster care are as follows:

Hawaii at 46%

Florida at 43%

Arizona at 37%

REFORM Puzzle Piece