Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) have introduced a Senate Resolution recognizing September as National Kinship Care Month. The resolution builds on the effort by several states to also set-aside the month in recognition of families that provide vital kinship care services some within child welfare but many outside of the system.
The resolution highlights September 2015 as ‘‘National Kinship Care Month’’ and encourages Congress to implement policies to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families, honors the commitment and dedication of kinship caregivers and praises the advocates and allies who work tirelessly to provide assistance and services to kinship caregiving families. It also goes on to reaffirms the need to continue working to improve the outcomes of all vulnerable children through federal programs under the Social Security Act.
Several states including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming either have gubernatorial proclamation, state legislative resolution or are in the process of passing such resolutions.
