“Sometimes in life you come upon the realization that you are backed into a corner and may not stand to win a fight with your own resources.” -Cherie, loving caregiver to her granddaughter
This perfectly captures a sentiment shared by many of our clients, especially grandparents and other relative caregivers. Imagine being retired and taking on an 18 month old. You don’t sleep and you have to buy toys, clothes and food fit for a toddler. Now add to that medical fragility and an inability to access proper financial support all while simply attempting to do what’s best for a young child.
Challenging doesn’t begin to describe the daily hardship our multi-generational families navigate. We exist to alleviate their burden. Every child deserves a loving home and every caregiver willing to step up deserves the opportunity to do so with the information and resources to succeed.
We solve problems for families and get them the appropriate resources they need, but the impact is far greater when you consider the fortitude, empowerment and humility gained that lasts long after the fight is over. That feeling is priceless, and so is the love our caregivers give their young kin.
“The care and consistent support that the Alliance staff has shown to me is an example of the humanity and concern that mirrors the mission of the Alliance for Children’s Rights.” –Cherie
Over the last two years, public awareness has deepened around kinship caregivers. KPCC recently aired this piece and $17.4 million was included in this year’s CA budget to better recruit and retain foster parents, including relatives who currently provide a home to nearly half of L.A.’s foster children. The biggest win was 2014’s Approved Relative Caregiver Funding Option Program championed by the Step Up Coalition. These efforts are a giant victory for the individual caregivers who keep our foster care system afloat. Step Up is hosting a series of webinars on Kinship caregivers throughout the fall.
