September 29, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 169 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Page S5985]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 736--DESIGNATING SEPTEMBER 2020 AS ``NATIONAL KINSHIP 
                              CARE MONTH''

  Mr. WYDEN (for himself, Mr. Grassley, Mrs. Blackburn, Ms. Hassan, Mr. 
Lankford, Mr. Casey, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Ms. 
Cortez Masto, Ms. Sinema, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Young, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. 
Baldwin, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Brown, Mr. Schumer, and Mr. Braun) submitted 
the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 736

       Whereas, in September 2020, ``National Kinship Care Month'' 
     is observed;
       Whereas, nationally, 2,700,000 children are living in 
     kinship care with grandparents, other relatives, and family 
     friends (``fictive kin'');
       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 kinship children live in 
     informal kinship care outside of the foster care system;
       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 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 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--
       (1) to maintain family relationships and cultural heritage; 
     and
       (2) to 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, and 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 (Public Law 115-123; 132 Stat. 64) and the 
     Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115-141; 
     132 Stat. 348);
       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 (Public Law 115-196; 132 Stat. 1511); 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 2020 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; and
       (3) 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.

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