Signed into law in February 2018, the Family First Prevention Act reforms child welfare funding streams and focuses on prevention supports for families “at risk” of foster care, and adds supports for kinship navigation and other kinship initiatives.
Summary by First Focus Campaign for Children
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) information on who is considered “Parent” for financial aid.
If you are considered a dependent student for FAFSA® purposes, you will need to provide information about your legal parent(s) on the application. A legal parent is your biological or adoptive parent, or your legal parent as determined by the state (for example, if the parent is listed on your birth certificate). If you have a stepparent currently married to your legal parent, you generally also must provide information about him or her.
More info and how to apply
Virginia Code section regarding enrolling kinship children in school: § 22.1-3. Persons to whom public schools shall be free.
Virginia Code § 22.1-3
Kinship Care and School Enrollment in Virginia, report for the Virginia Commission on Youth.
Introduction to Power of Attorney including answering what is a Power of Attorney, what are the benefits of executing (completing and signing) a Power of Attorney.
Instructions for Power Of Attorney including steps for the agent to perform.
Introduction to Powers of Attorney
Instructions for Power Of Attorney
The National Resource Center for Diligent Recruitment, NRCDR website closed on September 29, 2017. The NRCDR website is not being maintained but resources on diligent recruitment remain available.
Supporting Kinship Caregivers Podcast Series from Child Welfare Information Gateway.
Link to streaming services to listen to part 1 & part 2 of the podcast, or get the transcripts.
Part 1 Website
Transcript Part 1
Part 2 Website
Transcript Part 2
This 2015 toolkit from the Foster Family-based Treatment Association offers an overview of treatment foster care by kinship caregivers.
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.
Kinship Adoption: Meeting the Unique Needs of a Growing Population, from Child Focus.
In Loving Arms: The Protective Role of Grandparents and Other Relatives in Raising Children Exposed to Trauma
Full report
Grand Resources: A Grandparent’s and Other Relative’s Guide to Raising Children with Disabilities, from Generations United
Are you a grandparent or other relative raising another family member’s child? You are not alone. Grandfamilies – or extended family members and close family friends and the children they raise – are growing in numbers. More than 2.7 million children are being raised in grandfamilies without any parents in the home. Although we don’t know how many, we believe many of the children in grandfamilies have disabilities or special needs. Often they may have disabilities because of the situations that led to them being cared for in a grandfamily. Some of them may develop disabilities if they do not receive services to help them while they are young.
The guide seeks to answer some of the most often asked questions from grandfamilies like yours who have children with disabilities.
Kinship care is a way for children to stay connected to family when they have been voluntarily or involuntarily removed from the care of their parents. Removal may become necessary due to a parent’s illness, incarceration, lack of housing, insufficient income, abuse or neglect. Regardless of the reason for kinship care,most children fare better when connections to family and loved ones are maintained.
Generations together’s mission is to create vibrant, multi-generational communities where children who have experienced foster care find permanent, loving families; those families receive integral support; and seniors find meaningful purpose as valued members of the community.
Their goals are..
Grandfamilies.org, a collaboration of Generations United, the American Bar Association Center for Children and the Law, and Casey Family Programs.
Grandfamilies
Generations United