[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 398 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 398
Designating September 2021 as ``National Kinship Care Month''.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 30, 2021
Mr. Wyden (for himself and Mr. Brown) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Designating September 2021 as ``National Kinship Care Month''.
Whereas in September 2021, ``National Kinship Care Month'' is observed;
Whereas nationally, 2,800,000 children are living in kinship care with
grandparents, other relatives, and family friends (``fictive kin'');
Whereas, according to the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family
Statistics, in 2019, 1,700,000 children were cared for by grandparents,
651,000 by other relatives, and 481,000 by nonrelatives who are not
foster parents;
Whereas nationally, nearly \1/3\ of all foster care placements are in kinship
foster care, with more than 133,000 children placed in kinship foster
care;
Whereas more than 2,600,000 children live in informal kinship care outside of
the foster care system;
Whereas ``kinship'' is the term used to describe the relationship between
children and nonparent relative caregivers in recent Federal enactments
of law, including in the Consolidated Appropriations Acts enacted for
each of fiscal years 2018 through 2021, in the COVID-19 response
provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, and in the
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021;
Whereas in over 40 States, more than 300 State statutes that use the term
``kinship'' and there are more than 15 references to that term in the
Federal child welfare laws contained in title 42 of the United States
Code;
Whereas while kinship care is the most common term for relative caregivers of
children, they are sometimes also referred to as kincaregivers or
grandfamilies;
Whereas federally funded kinship navigator programs and kinship guardian
programs operate in over 40 States;
Whereas the number of children placed in foster care continues to increase due
in part to the opioid crisis, and child welfare agencies are
increasingly reliant on grandparents and other kinship caregivers;
Whereas, during the COVID-19 pandemic, kinship caregivers, who are often
grandparents with health vulnerabilities, are parenting children in
their homes, often with limited support;
Whereas kinship or relative care can be a critical tool in addressing
disproportionality;
Whereas African-American and Hispanic children are more likely to be placed in
kinship care (32 percent and 48 percent, respectively), than are White
children (27 percent) and past evidence, such as reports and testimony
to Congress by the Government Accountability Office and other research,
suggests that kinship care is an important practice in reducing
disproportionality;
Whereas kinship caregivers residing in urban, rural, and suburban households in
every State and territory of the United States have stepped forward out
of love and loyalty to care for children during times in which parents
are unable to do so;
Whereas kinship caregivers provide safety, promote well-being, and establish
stable households for vulnerable children;
Whereas kinship care homes offer a refuge for traumatized children;
Whereas kinship care enables a child to maintain family relationships and
cultural heritage and remain in the community of the child;
Whereas the wisdom and compassion of kinship caregivers is a source of self-
reliance and strength for countless children and for the entire United
States;
Whereas children in kinship care experience improved placement stability, higher
levels of permanency, and decreased behavioral problems;
Whereas kinship caregivers face daunting challenges to keep children from
entering foster care;
Whereas, because of parental substance use disorders and other adverse childhood
experiences, children in kinship care frequently have trauma-related
conditions;
Whereas many kinship caregivers give up their retirement years to assume
parenting duties for children;
Whereas the Senate wishes to honor the many kinship caregivers who throughout
the history of the United States have provided loving homes for
children;
Whereas the first President of the United States, George Washington, and his
wife Martha were themselves kinship caregivers, as were many other great
people of the United States;
Whereas the Senate is proud to recognize the many kinship care families in which
a child is raised by grandparents, other relatives, or fictive kin;
Whereas National Kinship Care Month provides an opportunity to urge people in
every State to join in recognizing and celebrating kinship caregiving
families and the tradition of families in the United States to help kin;
Whereas, in 2018, Congress provided for kinship navigator programs and services
in the Family First Prevention Services Act enacted under title VII of
division E of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 and the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2018;
Whereas, in 2018, Congress provided for the formation of the Advisory Council to
Support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren to examine supports for
grandparents and other kinship caregivers in the Supporting Grandparents
Raising Grandchildren Act;
Whereas, since 2018, Congress has continued to support kinship families by
renewing funding for kinship navigators in the Consolidated
Appropriations Acts, enacted for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2021,
providing flexibility for how such funds may be used in the COVID-19
response provisions of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, and
implementing the National Technical Assistance Center on Kinship and
Grandfamilies in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021; and
Whereas more remains to be done to support kinship caregiving and to ensure that
all children have a safe, loving, nurturing, and permanent family,
regardless of age or special needs: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) designates September 2021 as ``National Kinship Care
Month'';
(2) encourages Congress, States, local governments, and
community organizations to continue to work to improve the
lives of vulnerable children and families and to support the
communities working together to lift them up;
(3) urges all States to expand their support of kinship
care and their use of kinship foster care: and
(4) honors the commitment and dedication of kinship
caregivers and the advocates and allies who work tirelessly to
provide assistance and services to kinship caregiving families.
<all>