Blog

September is National Kinship Care Month, a time when we recognize the relatives and close family friends who step in to care for children.

Kinship care can look different for every family. It might look like a grandparent welcoming a grandchild. An older sibling caring for a younger sibling. Or a teacher, coach, neighbor, or family friend stepping in for a child they already know and have a close relationship with.

These arrangements can help children stay connected to their family, their roots, and people who are already part of their story.

But saying “yes” for these families can also come with some big challenges and few resources.

Stepping in when families need it most

Recently, we heard from a local caregiver who welcomed four children, ages 6 to 13, into her home just before the school year started.

We helped provide four beds and mattresses, gift cards so the teens could shop for new clothes, and connections to other local resources, including the Douglas County Kids Expo Fair and counseling services through our partnership with Bluestem Wellness.

In another family, a young adult who had aged out of foster care became a kinship caregiver for her 17-year-old younger sister. She already knew about Foster Village because she had once lived in the home of a foster caregiver we had supported. This time, she came to us as the caregiver. We were able to provide a bed frame, mattress, and Teen Gift Card for her sister.

These stories are just a few examples of how we’re stepping in to support kinship families.

Growing our support for kinship caregivers

Kinship families often have access to fewer resources than licensed foster families. They may also be working through hard family relationships and dynamics while helping a child adjust to big changes.

Over the past year, we’ve grown the ways we support these families. Today, our kinship support includes:

• Meals and gift cards for families welcoming a new kinship placement
• A monthly female kinship caregiver support group in Topeka
• One-on-one Caregiver Support Consultations with a licensed social worker
• Help with special needs that may fall outside our other programs

A very important part of making this work happen is our Kinship Family Advocate, Emily Wiebe. 

Emily and her husband, JD, are kinship caregivers to their nephew, Remi. Emily's own experience has given her a deep desire to support other families walking a similar path. She helps caregivers find resources, encouragement, and connection with people who understand. She also co-leads our Topeka support group for female kinship caregivers with Family Support and Education Specialist Madi Willis, LMSW.

Providing simple but meaningful support

Last month, Emily delivered a meal to a local kinship caregiver whose child was in the PICU. The grandma was splitting her time between the hospital and home, where she had other children to care for. Having a meal provided meant one less thing for her to worry about.

The delivery also gave Emily time to sit with the caregiver, get to know her better, check in on her child, and learn more about what the family needed.

Emily shared: “It’s been really meaningful to see how something as simple as a meal can meet such a tangible need while also creating an opportunity for us to come alongside families and build relationships.”

That’s what we want support to look like: meeting practical needs while building relationships so caregivers know they don’t have to do this alone.

This National Kinship Care Month, help us keep showing up for local kinship families through our kinship support fund. Donate here.