Amberleña Kincare
KINSHIP CARE "Across the nation, 4% of all kids — more than 2.6 million children — are in kinship care. In this arrangement, relatives raise kids when their parents cannot care for them. There are three general and sometimes overlapping categories of kinship care. These categories are: 1) private or informal care, where families make arrangements with or without legal recognition of a caregiver’s status; 2) diversion kinship care, where children who have come to the attention of child welfare agencies end up living with a relative or close friend of the family. and 3) licensed or unlicensed kinship care, where kids live with relatives but remain in legal custody of the state. (Annie E.Casey Foundation,2022).
What is Kincare also known as Kinship Care?
Kinship care is a type of family-based care in which relatives or close family friends provide a home for children who are unable to stay with their parents. Many times this type of care is provided when there are family issues such as neglect, abuse, substance abuse, poverty, parental illness, or death. Kinship care ensures that children have a caring stable home with family members or others who are familiar to them. It is often a more cost-efficient alternative to institutional care and has positive impacts on child development outcomes such as improved educational achievement, mental health, and well-being. Kinship care provides children with a supportive and protective environment, minimizing the potential for any further trauma or stress associated with out-of-home care.
Why would a parent consider assigning someone as a caregiver (Kincare)?
Having a person assigned to take care of a child in time of emergency is an important measure for ensuring the child's safety. In an emergency, parents or guardians may not be able to reach the child quickly; having a designated caretaker helps to ensure that the child is safe and cared for no matter the circumstances.
In the event of an emergency, the assigned caretaker may be able to provide practical help, such as supervision and physical protection, as well as emotional support, comfort and reassurance. Without the benefit of a designated caretaker, a child may feel confused, scared and helpless. Having a known caretaker to go to, even in times of crisis, can give a child a sense of security and stability.
Additionally, having a designated caretaker provides peace of mind for parents and guardians. In today's busy world, parents and guardians may have to be away from home for long periods of time; in an emergency situation, it is reassuring to know that an appointed person will be able to step in and provide the necessary care and support the child needs.
There could be many reasons a child is in need of a caregiver other than there parent. It is important to protect our children no matter what life brings our way.
Our goal -
Our main goal of AmberLeña Kinship Care is to define Kinship on a legal level, to help others understand the importance of AmberLeña Kinship Care database, to prevent traumatization by ensuring children are placed temporarily with safe and familiar adults. Our aim is to grant courts authority and access, as well as mandate utilization of a developed Kinship Care database in cases when the state obtains temporary legal rights for a child. As well as to support the family unit with autonomy in deciding temporary safe placement of the child.
Expectations for those working with us on this project -
Safe Space is where we can talk and not be judged or worry about the personal information getting shared. Creating a sense of community. Committee members have a passion to make a difference for children and their families. To build awareness about “informal” care and its impact on children. Listen to an individual's stories and their perspectives with an open mind. We are working to make a difference in the community but our plan is to impact America.
We are currently in the planning stages. The idea was discussed and the planning teams were developed. The planning teams include:
DEVELOPMENT - Database/Technology planning team
IMPACT - Social Media planning team
FELICITOUS - Outreach planning team
We feel it is important to develop the plan before the actions steps. We could just jump on social media and start making posts but why are we making the posts we are making, what are the good and bad about the social media, who are we leaving out and where are we leaving them out? There are so many questions you want to have answered with a laid out plan that has been developed to ensure you are going to make the biggest impact.
We are looking for help in all areas, all across America. You could be the key to help special things happen even if you don't yet know it is you. Help us redevelop a piece of our foster care system with the Kinship Care first database.
Facts and Frequently Asked Questions - coming soon
Meetings are held in mornings or evenings on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th weeks of the month.
Tuesday Evening: Group meets 6pm
Thursday Mornings: Group meets 10am
Committees setup their own meeting times