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Senator Clinton Announces New "Kinship Care" Bill at CWLA's National Conference
For more information, contact
Joyce Johnson
Phone: 804/492-4519
Cell: 703/980-7641
E-mail: jjohnson@cwla.org
February 26, 2004, Washington, DC -- To a standing-room-only audience of more than 1,500 child-serving members of the Child Welfare League of America, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) announced her intention to introduce ground-breaking legislation, the Kinship Caregiver Support Act, that will help grandparents and other relatives who are currently raising more than six million children in America.
In the keynote address at the annual CWLA National Conference in Washington, DC, this week, Senator Clinton acknowledged the hard work, dedication, and sacrifice of grandparents and other relatives who raise their grandchildren, nieces, nephews, brothers, and sisters when the parents are unable.
"Grandparents and other relatives have stepped forward, often at great personal sacrifice, to provide safe and loving homes for the children in their care. But kinship families, especially those without formal legal custody of the children under their care, face a number of unnecessary barriers," said Senator Clinton in her remarks. "Right now, it is often easier for an abused and neglected child to live in a stranger's house in foster care than with a relative. My legislation will allow these relatives to become formal guardians of these children while still receiving a little financial help."
Shay Bilchik, President and CEO of the Child Welfare League of America, praised Senator Clinton as a compassionate champion of children. "Senator Clinton, in introducing the Kinship Caregiver Support Act, is advocating for the critical need for federal resources to respond to the fastest growing population of children in out-of-home care in America - those in kinship care. On behalf of the millions of children being raised by their extended families, we are extremely grateful to Senator Clinton for her leadership in helping kinship families get the support and services they need to ensure that a child is safe and protected."
CWLA has been working closely with Senator Clinton to develop this legislation to assist kinship families. In the coming weeks, CWLA will be working to advance this legislation through increased advocacy efforts with our member agencies, national coalitions, and media outreach.
The Kinship Caregiver Support Act will:
- Establish a "Kinship Navigator" program to link kinship caregivers with the support and services they need. Grants will be provided to state and localities to establish toll-free hotlines, websites, and resource guides on locally-based parenting support available to kinship families, including critical information about how to enroll children in school, how to obtain Medicaid and other health care, how to safeguard their homes for small children, how to apply for housing assistance, how to obtain legal services, and how to find child care.
- Create a subsidized guardianship option with the federal foster care system, Title IV-E of the Social Security Act. This title will make it possible for kinship caregivers to provide care in a formal arrangement through the foster care system. Families in subsidized guardianship arrangements will retain legal status of the children in their care without forgoing the foster care maintenance payments that offset the significant costs associated with raising children.
- Create a $500 refundable Grandchild Care Tax Credit for any grandparent who is the primary caregiver of their grandchild.
For additional information on the bill, refer to website: http://clinton.senate.gov/~clinton/news/2004/2004224A53.html
For additional information or to interview Mr. Bilchik, please contact the CWLA Press Office at 202/942-0244 or email pressoffice@cwla.org.
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