Meeting Children's Needs in Kindship-Care Families

Raising children is a complex undertaking. Children who live with a relative or grandparent may have had a rocky start and have surely experienced transition and loss. Here are some resources:

Understanding kinship family relationships relationships Looking for help with discipline? Wondering how to talk to a child about his or her biological parents? Check out these University of Wisconsin Cooperative Extension fact sheets. They provide information on a variety of topics of concern to grandparents and relatives as parents such as understanding child development, understanding children’s behaviors and children’s contact with their parents.

Children of Alcoholics Foundation (COAF) Ties That Bind Project COAF provides tips for relatives who have taken over the care of a child when parents' drug or alcohol use has left them unable to care for their children.

Family Resource Centers A Statewide network of centers that provide parent education and support, including home visits for families with newborns, screening and detection services for children at risk of developmental delays or disabilities, adult education classes and short-term childcare. Centers also provide information about referrals to medical and social services such as family planning, mental health counseling, help for drug and alcohol abuse, fuel assistance, legal aid, health care, and help with violence in the home. In addition, Centers sponsor a variety of fun activities for parents and children.

Health Information for Relative Caregivers   New Hampshire Family Voices is a Family- to-Family Health Information Center which supports families with special needs, emotional, physical, and chronic illnesses, and disabilities. Database of 3,000+ resources on specific issues such as ADHD, Autism, etc, a lending library, and information and support system specializing in information about raising children with chronic illnesses, disabilities and social challenges.

Also helps families understand Medicaid, private insurance policies, SSI, public and private financial assistance programs. Family Voices has a referral service offering information to kinship-care families on local supports and services.

Regional Community Mental Health Centers A statewide network of community mental centers that provide publicly funded mental health services to individuals and families who meet certain eligibility criteria.

Area Developmental Agencies Statewide network of local agencies offering support for families and individuals with developmental disabilities, brain injuries, and children with chronic health conditions