Panel on kinship care urges one-stop legal help, respite and rural focus for grandparents and relative caregivers

Keith Lowhorne, chair of the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (SGRG) Council, opened the kinship panel by underscoring the scale of kinship caregiving: panel slides cited Generations United estimates of roughly 2.5 million U.S. children being raised by kin.

Panelists described practical, actionable approaches states and communities are using to support kinship families. Dr. Ali Caliendo, developer of the Foster Kinship navigator program, described navigator programs that produce immediate gains by helping kin caregivers obtain legal guardianship or licensing, enroll children in Medicaid and access school and health services. “When we solve those basic problems — legal status, enrollment, benefits — families can focus on meeting children’s needs,” Ali said.

Moses Dixon (Senior Connection Worcester) described a one-stop Grandparents Raising Grandkids Resource Center funded in part by a $1.2 million congressional earmark; the center takes families through intake, legal-aid partnerships to secure custody/guardianship, and referrals to nutrition, respite and school enrollment services. Lisa Grodsky (Oakland Livingston Human Services Agency) highlighted community-driven responses that emerged after the COVID-19 pandemic — repaired laptops, porch drop-offs, and intergenerational technology training (the 'gigabytes for grand families' program) — and warned that transportation and technology remain major unmet needs for many kinship caregivers.

Panelists also flagged emerging trends: more kinship families are raising children with autism or prenatal drug and alcohol exposure, a rise in younger caregivers (18–22 year olds caring for siblings), and a growing 'triple-decker' cohort simultaneously supporting older relatives and children. Respite in trauma-informed settings, legal status variability across states, affordable housing and targeted supports for younger caregivers were identified as high priorities.

Ana Beltran of Generations United summarized federal momentum — including kinship navigator models approved for replication and forecasted grant opportunities tied to child-welfare Title 4E funding — and noted resources the network can provide to states and community organizations.

Panelists urged that the next Strategy update strengthen navigator infrastructure, prioritize trauma-informed respite, reduce legal and administrative barriers that fragment eligibility, and target rural communities where access gaps are large.