Kinship Care Program |
When parents are unable to care for their children, kinship caregivers are increasingly being asked to raise their grand children, nieces, nephews, great‐grandchildren and siblings. In NYC, over 84,000 kinship caregivers have assumed full time responsibility for 250,000 relative children (US Census 2000). These kinship families have diverse and complex needs.
JBFCS responded by establishing the Kinship Care Program (KCP). Designed to promote family stability, the program provides emotional support, case management, advocacy and information about financial, educational and medical benefits as well as referrals for legal assistance to establish permanency plans. KCP services are free. They are available at our Brooklyn location, through home visits, in schools and at community centers. NYC‐wide help is also available by phone for information and referral to local programs. Support groups and phone‐based resources are offered in English and Spanish.
Programs
Training
Trainings are available on the mental health needs of kinship care families which focus on loss and trauma as well as identifying family strengths and reducing risks. Workshops can also be provided on stress management for kin caregivers and the professionals that work with them.
Task Force
JBFCS is the lead agency for the Brooklyn Grandparents’ Coalition and the co‐sponsor of the NYC Kincare Task Force, both of which are cross‐system collaborations among the many professional programs that support kin caregiving families throughout NYC. Conferences are held 2‐3 times per year on relevant issues affecting kin caregiving families.
Faculty
Deborah Langosch, PhD, LCSW is the project director of the Kinship Care Program and a clinical coordinator of the Loss and Bereavement Program. She has worked with kin caregiving families for over 25 years and conducted trainings throughout the country.
Contact: Deborah Langosch
