Kinship Caregivers Support Program Offers Help

--by Margaret Casey

• A single woman in her early forties, due to the deaths of her sister and brother-in-law, finds herself responsible for her three nieces and nephews. She has a full-time job that includes travel, and a one-bedroom apartment.
  
  
• The parents of a drug abuser, both 57, take in their grandchildren for their safety. They must move, since they live in an "adult community," and their wages are not sufficient to meet the demands of raising another family. The children need professional help as they deal with feelings of abandonment, and require extra help with schoolwork.

"Kinship caregivers" are people who have taken on the responsibility of caring for their relatives' children siblings, nieces, nephews, or, most often, grandchildren. Relatives become primary caregivers for a variety of reasons for example, the death of parents, teenage pregnancy, mental illness, criminal behavior, substance abuse, or neglect. Kinship caregivers provide a valuable service by offering what is often the best possible environment and stability for the children. But unfortunately, they often face significant financial hardship as a result.

The 2004 Washington State Legislature appropriated $500,000 in state general funds for fiscal year 2005 to implement the Kinship Caregivers Support Program (KCSP), providing support services to eligible grandparents or relatives of any age who have primary caregiving responsibilities for grandchildren or relatives under age 18. For caregivers who qualify, this funding can be accessed for purposes such as...

• First/last month's rent or utility hook-ups for relatives who must move in order to take a child into their home
• Gas and bus vouchers/car repairs
• Food
• Transition counseling for kinship caregiver and child(ren)
• Adjusting to the new living arrangement
• School-related expenses (supplies, uniforms, band instruments, field trips, etc.)
• Tutoring
• Supervision for child(ren) during kinship caregiver appointments

For more information about the program and its eligibility guidelines, call 1-888-435-3377.

More Resources for Kinship Caregivers

The Senior Services of Seattle/King County Caregiver Outreach and Support Program offers services, information and resources.