Kinship Caregiver

Kinship care can be defined as the full-time nurturing and protection of children by relatives who have a kinship bond with children when those children have been separated from their biological parents.

The Kinship Caregiver Program of Catholic Charities provides support to relative caregivers using a family systems approach. The program encourages families to access existing community resources, as well as form new relationships with other community organizations and services.

Services Provided

• Outreach: To reach out to families in need
• Advocacy: To provide active support; and promote rights of the family, that is, caregiver and children
  
• Case Management: Organize services for the family
  
• Assessment and Referral to Family Counseling: To provide help and support to the family as a whole and each individual member
  
• Relative Caregiver Workshops: Learn resources available and helpful new skills
  
• Parenting education: Offers a refresher on parenting in today’s world
  
• Referral and linkage: Assistance with connecting to other resources in the family’s community, including legal, financial, and human services

Eligibility

Children must be TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) eligible or eligible for public cash assistance. Children living with a non-parent caregover who is a blood relative are eligible to receive a ‘child-only’ TANF grant, regardless of the caregivers income. 

The children don’t have to be in court ordered legal arrangements such as guardianship or kinship foster care.  Arrangements made with the child’s parents are acceptable for this program.

There is no cost for the program services.  Long-term counseling services may be paid through insurance or based on sliding fee, if referred to another Catholic Charities program.


Challenges the Kinship Caregiver Program can help with

• How to meet the needs of the child (emotional and behavioral concerns)
• Fulfilling your new parenting role and stepping out of the ‘relative’ role
  
• Negotiating your new relationship with the child and the child’s parent(s)
  
• Parenting strategies
  
• Financial demands
  
• Legal concerns and questions
  
• Finding affordable, accessible health care and health care coverage
  
• Housing needs
  
• Affordable and reliable child care
  
• Questions and concerns regarding child’s education

For more information on the Kinship Caregiver program, please call (716) 856-4494 ext. 3057

The Erie County Kinship Caregiver website is available by clicking here.