Grandparents Raising Grandchildren conference spotlights families’ needs

PLAINS TWP. — Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski on Friday said grandparents are raising grandchildren due to various reasons, and he shared proposals that he and some of his colleagues are promoting to address a growing problem in Pennsylvania that demands our attention.

“Grandparents are often stepping up to the plate and taking over primary care of their grandchildren,” Pashinski said. “Many kinship families are low-income households already facing complex issues. They aren’t equipped to navigate the cumbersome legal process on their own. The legal assistance would help keep at-risk children in their family environment. Today’s event demonstrates the need for my bill and other legislation supporting kinship caregivers who are stepping up for their families under very difficult circumstances.”

The event Pashinski spoke at was the 16th annual Grandparents Raising Grandchildren’s (GRG) conference of the NEPA Inter-generational Coalition, held Friday at The Woodlands Inn, Plains Township, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

GRG of Northeastern Pennsylvania is a non-profit organization dedicated to offering both information and support to grandparents and other kinship caregivers and their families.

Pashinski, D-Wilkes-Barre, said House Bill 931 creates the Legal Services for Kinship Care Families Grant Program for eligible nonprofit organizations that provide legal services to kinship care families.

“Many kinship families are in low-income households, never expecting to have to raise their grandchildren let alone pay for costly legal services needed to legally take care of their grandchildren,” Pashinski said. “Evidence has proven there are more advantages of having at-risk children stay in a stable family environment, while relieving pressure on the local foster care system.”

Under House Bill 931, Pashinski said grant money through the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services could be used for administrative legal services and other costs associated with retaining the services of a lawyer, including but not limited to stand-by guardianship, adoption power of attorney for medical and educational care and other related kinship care arrangements.

“There is more potential to live and stay with family and staying connected with siblings, leading to preserving race and cultural identity,” Pashinski said.

“House Bill 931 would empower kin connectors to navigate the legal system and access services to support the children and youth in Kin Care for the betterment of the children and adults as well,” Pashinski said.

According to Howard Grossman, chairman of the Coalition conference, there are more than 21,000 GRG families currently living in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Grossman said the numbers are growing each year where grandparents, uncles, and aunts are taking over as primary caretakers of younger children.

According to Grossman, caretakers have the primary responsibility of raising grandchildren for many reasons where parents may be drug addicts, or alcoholism, teenage pregnancy, military deployment or even abandonment.

“This problem is regional, statewide and national,” Grossman said. “These numbers are significant numbers and there’s not stopping — the numbers are growing and growing.”

Grossman will open the conference before handing it over to keynote speaker PA Secretary of Aging, Jason Kavulich, former head of the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging.

In addition to a keynote speaker, there was a morning panel with six presenters as well as an afternoon panel of five attorneys on hand.

“While we’ve made progress, we continue to hear from grandparents and kinship caregivers struggling to access the resources they need and deserve as they take care of their families and member’ children.” Pashinski said.

These stories are supported by commission’s recommendations and advocates who have all identified providing legal and other financial assistance for kin caregivers as an important next step for Pennsylvania’s policymakers which is what the grant program would do.

Pashinski said both the PA Family Support Alliance under the direction of CEO and President Angela Liddle and Kari King, President/CEO of PA Partnership for children, both agree that Kin families play a critical role in the PA Welfare system.

“They know and have stated that youth placed in appropriate Kin Care experience better outcomes in placement stability and positive education outcomes,” Pashinski said. “There is more potential to live and stay with family and staying connected with siblings leading to preserving race and cultural identity.”