Kids Are Waiting April E-Update: Act for Foster Children, Relative Caregivers
Tell Congress: Now is the Time to Act for Foster Children, Relative Caregivers
Between April 1 and April 15, please call Congress free of charge to urge your Senators and Representatives to co-sponsor the Kinship Caregiver Support Act (H.R. 2188/S. 661). This bipartisan legislation would provide federal support (as an option under child welfare Title IV-E) to relatives who create permanent families through legal guardianship to help children leave foster care safely and for good. The measure would also help relative caregivers find other services and supports to help them care for the children they are raising. The Kids Are Waiting campaign strongly endorses the bipartisan, bicameral Kinship Caregiver Support Act (S. 661/H.R. 2188) that provides federal support to relatives who create permanent families through legal guardianship to help children leave foster care. It would also help relative caregivers of children in foster care to find other services and supports to help them in their caregiving duties. The Invest In Kids Act (H.R. 5466), a comprehensive child welfare reform proposal, also includes similar provisions that would provide federal assistance to legal guardians and help relative caregivers access services and supports.Dial 1-866-873-3025 and follow the prompts to be directed to your Members of Congress. Tell them you're a constituent and ask them to co-sponsor this vital piece of legislation. AND/OR, send an email to your members of Congress about becoming a co-sponsor through our website. Congress needs to hear that these children and families are a priority and deserve our help and support.Visit us on YouTube!
Please stop by our new YouTube channel and listen to foster care alumni and others making the case for child welfare reform in their own words: www.youtube.com/kidsarewaitingChildren and Families Would benefit from federal guardianship supportJJ Hitch and his three younger siblings entered Michigan's foster care system. They were able to remain together and continue attending the same schools because their grandparents stepped in to care for them. "I still recall the caseworker saying, 'Well, if you can't stay with your grandparents, you will go into foster care and probably get split up,'" recalls JJ. But the financial costs of raising four children were overwhelming for his retired grandparents. "Words cannot express how much they sacrificed for us," he says. Several bills before Congress would help families like JJ's by providing guardianship support and information, including the comprehensive child welfare reform bill, the Invest in Kids Act and the Kinship Caregiver Support Act. Read JJ's story in his own words here.
New Partners Join Kids Are Waiting
Several new organizations have joined the Kids Are Waiting campaign to promote federal foster care reform. These include Children's Home + Aid of Illinois and the New York State Citizens Coalition for Children. For information on how your organization can join, contact us at info@kidsarewaiting.org.
