Many children are fortunate to be cared for by kinship caregivers when their own parents are unable or unavailable to care for them. Kinship caregivers may be relatives, such as grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, even older siblings. Kinship caregivers may also be close family friends, neighbors, coaches, Sunday school teachers, etc. Many individuals step up to provide temporary and sometimes permanent care, raising "extended family children". It is our goal to ensure all kin caregivers are directed toward, and able to access available and needed supports.

• Kinship Caregivers needing fiscal supports:  information available on the Statewide Support page, click for many on-line applications.

• IMPROVING LEGAL PATHS FOR KINSHIP CAREGIVERS – as selected presenters for the American Bar Association’s Center for Children and the Law Conference in July 2011, Lorain County Attorney Tim Smith and PCSAO’s Crystal Allen presented a workshop on Improving Legal Paths for Kinship Caregivers.  While the workshop included other materials and several case studies presenting legal dilemmas for kin caregivers, you can review the official workshop paper online.