A resolution designating September 2020 as "National Kinship Care Month".

III 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. RES. 736 Designating September 2020 as ‘‘National Kinship Care Month’’. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES SEPTEMBER 30 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 29), 2020 Mr. WYDEN (for himself, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Ms. HASSAN, Mr. LANKFORD, Mr. CASEY, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Ms. SINEMA, Mr. ROBERTS, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. KAINE, Mr. BROWN, Mr. SCHUMER, and Mr. BRAUN) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Designating September 2020 as ‘‘National Kinship Care Month’’. Whereas, in September 2020, ‘‘National Kinship Care Month’’ is observed; Whereas, nationally, 2,700,000 children are living in kinship care with grandparents, other relatives, and family friends (‘‘fictive kin’’); Whereas, nationally, nearly 1⁄3 of all foster care placements are in kinship foster care, with more than 133,000 chil- dren placed in kinship foster care; Whereas more than 2,600,000 kinship children live in infor- mal kinship care outside of the foster care system; VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:53 Oct 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR736.ATS SR736 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 736 ATS Whereas, while kinship care is the most common term for rel- ative caregivers of children, they are sometimes also re- ferred to as kincaregivers or grandfamilies; Whereas the number of children placed in foster care con- tinues to increase due in part to the opioid crisis, and child welfare agencies are increasingly reliant on grand- parents 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 caregivers residing in urban, rural, and sub- urban households in every State and territory of the United States have stepped forward out of love and loy- alty 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 chil- dren; Whereas kinship care homes offer a refuge for traumatized children; Whereas kinship care enables a child— (1) to maintain family relationships and cultural heritage; and (2) to 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 chil- dren and for the entire United States; Whereas children in kinship care experience improved place- ment stability, higher levels of permanency, and de- creased behavioral problems; VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:53 Oct 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR736.ATS SR736 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 736 ATS 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 care- givers, 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 kin- ship 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, and fictive kin; Whereas National Kinship Care Month provides an oppor- tunity to urge people in every State to join in recognizing and celebrating kinship caregiving families and the tradi- tion 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 (Public Law 115–123; 132 Stat. 64) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115–141; 132 Stat. 348); 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:53 Oct 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR736.ATS SR736 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 736 ATS Raising Grandchildren Act (Public Law 115–196; 132 Stat. 1511); 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 (1) designates September 2020 as ‘‘National 2 Kinship Care Month’’; 3 (2) encourages Congress, States, local govern- 4 ments, and community organizations to continue to 5 work to improve the lives of vulnerable children and 6 families and to support the communities working to- 7 gether to lift them up; and 8 (3) honors the commitment and dedication of 9 kinship caregivers and the advocates and allies who 10 work tirelessly to provide assistance and services to 11 kinship caregiving families. 12 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:53 Oct 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR736.ATS SR736 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS