[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 398 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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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.
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