In November of , he served on the Kinship Action Planning Group to provide recommendations regarding a menu of supports for kin families. As recently as July , Mr.
Sarah Hedden, B. She represents non-parent relatives of children at risk of placement in foster care. She worked previously as a licensed master social worker in the child welfare system, with a focus on mental health and substance use issues.
She worked with youth and families in the therapeutic foster care system. She also worked with the Niagara County Department of Social Services in Child Protection matters to avoid removals and reduce recidivism rates. In her work with youth in therapeutic foster care with non-relatives, she saw first-hand the importance and necessity of continuing and strengthening the relationship between children and their birth families. Sarah was admitted to the New York State Bar in She currently serves as a kinship specialist for AFFM.
She has worked in the child welfare field as an advocate for adoptive, foster, kinship and birth parents of special needs children since Bette is also a board-certified trainer on aspects of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
Bette was a foster parent for 30 years, caring for more than children since She has 3 biological adult children, 8 adopted children, and 9 former foster children for whom she is still mom. She raised her year-old grandson since infancy and currently provides kinship care to grandchildren ages 4 and 3.
She also had power of attorney for a year-old granddaughter. Bette maintains contact with more than 30 of her former foster children. Bette is a strong and passionate advocate for children and their families. She is dedicated to assisting members of the child welfare system and children and families separated by foster care, adoption or kinship care to see the merit in maintaining healthy and meaningful connections. Bette served as a court appointed special advocate CASA and provides training on a number of child welfare related topics.
Jaia Peterson Lent is the deputy executive director of Generations United, whose mission is to improve the lives of children, youth and older people through intergenerational collaboration, public policies, and programs for the enduring benefit of all.
Lent joined Generations United in and provides direction for its National Center on Grandfamilies, a leading voice for issues affecting families headed by grandparents or other relatives. She oversees its work providing technical assistance on grandfamilies issues. Lent leads the national effort to set a unified agenda and coordinates the work of organizations serving and advocating for grandfamilies.
She is a trusted voice on Capitol Hill on issues related to grandfamilies and intergenerational cohesion, having testified before the U. Senate Special Committee on Aging and in several briefings. Under her leadership, legislation passed to support grandfamilies in areas ranging from housing to family caregiving to child welfare. She is a sought-after speaker, nationally recognized columnist and blogger, and respected media resource who has been quoted by multiple national media outlets.
Her passion for advocating for grandfamilies stems from her early years working in Child Protective Services, observing the disparities between support for non-related foster parents and relative caregivers. Her passion continues to be driven by her relationship with the GrAND Voices caregiver network who guide the work of Generations United. The Gerontology Center focuses on developing inter-professional health care providers to deliver care for older adults, developing community-based programs to address social determinants of health for older adults and leading community-engaged research, of which grandparents raising grandchildren is one area of focus.
She has practiced nursing for more than 35 years to include clinical and administrative positions, and is a veteran, having served as a commissioned officer in the U. Army Nurse Corps. The community-based intervention focuses on improving management of chronic disease during visits to the school-based clinic in the neighborhood.
The free clinic serves as a partner to deliver care to grandparents caring for grandchildren without health insurance. Prior to being director, Linda was a representative in the Iowa Legislature for 10 years. She is a registered nurse and her husband, Harold, is a family practice physician.
In this capacity, she provides executive direction, leadership, guidance and coordination for ACL programs nationwide and advises the HHS Secretary on issues affecting people with disabilities and older adults. In that position, she led policy advocacy with federal agencies and Congress and legal advocacy nationally to advance community living and inclusion, including in the areas of healthcare, Medicaid home- and community-based services, employment, housing, and education.
She led and participated in numerous coalitions with disability and aging organizations, including as co-chair of the Long-Term Services and Supports Task Force of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities.
She has testified before Congress and the U. Commission on Civil Rights on disability rights and was appointed to serve on the federal Advisory Committee for Competitive Integrated Employment of People with Disabilities. Barkoff previously served as Director of Advocacy at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, where she worked on a range of disability, healthcare, education and civil rights issues.
In earlier government roles, she served as Special Counsel for Olmstead Enforcement in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, leading efforts to enforce the rights of people with disabilities to live, work and fully participate in their communities.
She is a sibling to an adult brother with developmental disabilities and been involved in disability advocacy her entire life. Sonya Begay is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation and is a single grandparent raising her three grandchildren.
Begay persistently fought the child welfare agency for 8 months and finally got custody of her grandchildren. In Ms. Begay was notified that her son, the father of her grandchildren, had been murdered in Kentucky. Relocating back to Kentucky with the grandchildren, Ms. Begay began attending a local Grandparents as Parent GAP group where she learned how little support was available for grandparents.
She started to advocate for families like herself at the state, tribal and federal level by speaking and raising her voice at public forums about the challenges and needs of the GAP community.
Presently, Ms. Before coming to Federal service, in , Dr. Mathews-Younes worked in Massachusetts and supervised a number of day hospital, day treatment, outpatient and psychosocial programs for adults with serious mental illness. Lisa McGuire, Ph. McGuire earned a Ph. She joined CDC in and has published more than articles and book chapters on aspects of cognition, disability, caregiving, and aging. McGuire is passionate about caregiving both professionally and personally, as a caregiver for her mother with mixed dementia.
Joan Weiss, Ph. She is the primary advisor to the Director on geriatrics-related issues and all phases of management responsibilities for the Division of Medicine and Dentistry. Her experience in interprofessional practice and education spans 30 years.
She also serves on HHS interagency workgroups on palliative care, elder justice, and caregiving. She was inducted as a Fellow into the American Academy of Nursing in Amelia Karraker, Ph. She manages a portfolio in demography and social epidemiology of aging as well as social genomics. Her Ph. Benefits and Grants for Low-Income Families. The government … Continue. Christmas assistance programs. The Salvation Army and other charities help low-income families keep holiday traditions.
These holiday assistance incentives work with charities, government, and community organizations. They provide Thanksgiving and Christmas food baskets, holiday meals, free Christmas toys, gifts. You may also be eligible to Continue reading. Where to Find a Free Emergency Vet - Free emergency help with veterinary bills, is a lifesaver for many families. It is the responsibility of pet owners to make sure that their pets receive the Free Baby diapers help low-income families with babies and toddlers.
Unfortunately like everything else, diapers have gotten very expensive. It can be a struggle, to keep your little one in Skip to content.
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Non-necessary Non-necessary. The Guide for GrandFamilies can help you find your way with tips, tools and resources to the services and support you need to take care of yourself and your family. The needs of children can seem overwhelming, especially if you are unexpectedly thrust into the role of being their primary caregiver. First, focus on the basic needs, such as finding a safe place for the child to sleep; providing him with food, clothing, and any medication he might need; and getting the right kind of equipment, such as a stroller, car seat and crib.
Make a binder or folder where you keep all of these important papers so you can easily find them when you need them. You should have:. Talk with the key people in your grandchildren's lives, such as teachers, pediatricians, school social workers, and any lawyers or child welfare professionals who have been involved with your grandchild. These are some questions you may want to ask:.
You should also make a phone list of all the local people and agencies you will work with as you raise your grandchild. Keep this list in your notebook or folder, and post a copy near your phone.
Just do one thing at a time — and keep good notes about who you talk to and what they say. You may need to go back to your notes when you are seeking help for your grandchildren. Having good, accurate notes will also help you track your progress. Good notes are very helpful when it comes to legal issues.
Get a notebook or a binder and label the cover clearly with the date of the first entry in the notebook. When that notebook is full, mark the date of the last note on the cover as well. Every time you talk to someone about your grandchild, write down:. You are leaving AARP. Please return to AARP.
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