For Families to Share with School Partners

Checklist for Kinship Caregivers Working with the Schools

Developed by Va Department of Education’s Family Engagement Network (FEN) and Formed Families Forward, this checklist is for any kinship caregiver who is enrolling a child or youth in schools and working with schools to get appropriate services and supports.

  • Worksheet, Checklist for Kinship Caregivers Working with the Schools

    Checklist for kinship caregivers in PDF

  • Website, Checklist for Kinship Caregivers Working with the Schools

    web link to Checklists


Working with Kinship Caregivers Checklist for Schools

This checklist developed by Virginia Department of Education’s Family Engagement Network (FEN) and Formed Families Forward offers schools a checklist for school staff to use when working with relative or kinship caregivers raising children and youth.

  • Worksheet, Working with Kinship Caregivers Checklist for Schools

    School checklist for Working with Caregivers in PDF

  • Website, Working with Kinship Caregivers Checklist for Schools

    web link to Checklists


Supporting Educational Access for Kinship/Grandfamilies

This January 2023 resource from Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network:  A National Technical Assistance Center at Generations United covers some areas of educational access for kinship families.

  • Factsheet, Supporting Educational Access for Kinship/Grandfamilies

    Fact sheet

  • Website, Supporting Educational Access for Kinship/Grandfamilies


Kinship Care and the Child Welfare System fact sheet

From the National Child Welfare Information Gateway at the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, this fact sheet is designed to help kin caregivers—including grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings, and other relatives as well as family friends caring for children— work effectively with the child welfare system.

It also includes resources, such as links to more detailed information or places to find support, to help you learn about and navigate the child welfare system.

May 2022

  • PDF, Kinship Care and the Child Welfare System fact sheet

    Fact sheet


Supporting Educational Access for Kinship/Grandfamilies fact sheet

From the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network:  A National Technical Assistance Center, this fact sheet address a number of key issues kinship caregivers face when support their kin in school.

Education is high on the to-do lists of kin and grandfamily caregivers. Accessing educational services for children in their care can be difficult. Frequently, kin/grandfamily caregivers lack legal custody of the children and/or are unfamiliar with the local education system. This resource is designed to help direct-service professionals assist caregivers in ensuring the children they raise have the educational experiences needed to thrive.

 

January 2023

  • PDF, Supporting Educational Access for Kinship/Grandfamilies fact sheet

    Fact sheet


Foster Care, Special Education, and Learning and Thinking Differences: What You Need to Know

This brief article from Understood.org overviews some education issues specific to children and youth in foster care to foster/resource parents.

  • Document, Foster Care, Special Education, and Learning and Thinking Differences: What You Need to Know


Engaging Families in Mental Health and Disability Services tip sheet

This one pager from the new Northern Virginia Family Network (NVFN) designed for professional staff who work with families and youth. It offers some brief, straightforward suggestions and reminders about effectively communicating and building partnerships with families who are in need of education, mental health, disability and other services and supports.

Members of the NVFN are found on the back of the flyer.

  • Factsheet, Engaging Families in Mental Health and Disability Services tip sheet


Raising and Working with Children and Youth in Foster Care or Living with Kin: Your Guide to Resources in Virginia

This Guide from Virginia Family Special Education Connection offers families and professionals links to state- and local-specific resources for enrolling students, education, medical care, mental health, transitioning students to post-secondary settings, courts, and other areas.

Updated Summer 2023

  • Website, Raising and Working with Children and Youth in Foster Care or Living with Kin: Your Guide to Resources in Virginia

    Website resource

  • Document, Raising and Working with Children and Youth in Foster Care or Living with Kin: Your Guide to Resources in Virginia

    Flyer


Virginia Code section regarding enrolling kinship children in school: Section § 22.1-3

Virginia Code section regarding enrolling kinship children in school: § 22.1-3. Persons to whom public schools shall be free.

  • PDF, Virginia Code section regarding enrolling kinship children in school:  Section § 22.1-3

    Virginia Code § 22.1-3

  • Website, Virginia Code section regarding enrolling kinship children in school:  Section § 22.1-3


Kinship Care and School Enrollment in Virginia, report for the Virginia Commission on Youth

Kinship Care and School Enrollment in Virginia, report for the Virginia Commission on Youth.

  • Report, Kinship Care and School Enrollment in Virginia, report for the Virginia Commission on Youth


Hope and Healing for Sensory Deprivation

This booklet provides an overview of Sensory Deprivation or Sensory Processing Disorder. Based on the work of Carol Kranowitz and Karyn Purvis, information on definition, origins, detection & diagnosis,  and treatment are included.

  • Document, Hope and Healing for Sensory Deprivation


Compilation of Kinship Resources
  • Document, Compilation of Kinship Resources