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Kinship Care in Morgan County
Over 8% of the 3,768 children in Morgan County live with someone other than a biological parent according to the Census 2000 Summary File. That’s a total of 303 children. Last November, Washington-Morgan Community Action hired a part time time Kinship Care Navigator to seek out and work with these families.
In November when the Kinship Care Navigator began work, there were seven families involved with the Kinship Care program in Morgan County. Today there are 29 households benefiting from the program—that’s a 400% increase in participation.
The households total 41 adults and 47 children. Almost 69% of these adults are grandparents. Grandparents that are kinship caregivers are individuals who are unexpectedly raising a family for the second time around. The stress of caring for their grandchildren, accompanied by their own difficulties, can be quite overwhelming. It became clear that a support group was needed.
In February, an organizational support group meeting was held. Respite care seemed to be a main concern for those attending. As a result, several of those in attendance volunteered to serve as respite caregivers. A list was also created of individuals willing to take calls from fellow kinship caregivers in need of someone to listen.
Outreach projects that are in the works include an awareness stand at the Malta Mother’s Day Flea Market where kinship care families will pass out literature on kinship care, and possibly a float at the July 4th parade.
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