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Caregiver News Spring 2004
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Early Childhood Family Education Welcomes All Families “We received our first retirement check and a brand new baby in the same week. We didn’t know where to start.” Those are the words of Mary Enlow, referring to the experience of unexpected parenthood that she and her husband, Norman faced five years ago. They were called upon to rescue their grandson, Zino when he was two days old. He came to them as a methamphetamine baby and they spent his first two weeks at the hospital while he was in intensive care. The Enlow’s reached out to find the best resources available to help them raise their grandson. Luckily, they found Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) within their local school district. “I don’t know what we would have done without ECFE. It’s been a real godsend for us.” The Enlow’s have been involved in ECFE for three years. During that time they have participated in classes like “Love and Logic,” a course about positive discipline. Mary said, “It’s been so helpful!” Classes like that one are available in public school districts throughout the state of Minnesota. Most ECFE classes include time for parent/child activities, play and circle time, exercise, and separation time. Parents leave the small group of children for about half the class time to meet with a licensed Parent and Family Educator. The licensed Early Childhood Educator works with the children while parents discuss issues relating to child development, nutrition and discipline. By ECFE definition, “parent” includes all individuals who function in a primary parenting role for a child. The Enlow’s had concerns about effects of Zino’s prenatal care; they understood the potential risks from his exposure to drugs. They enrolled Zino in a class that allowed him to work with several different specialists. The educators evaluated his speech, hearing, and other developmental milestones. Fortunately, he has shown excellent progress and Mary is confident that he is well prepared to start kindergarten next fall. How can you become involved in ECFE? Call your local Public School District office. Add your child to the census to receive vital information about ECFE classes, Early Childhood Development screening and other services available to your family. Each school district has a sliding fee scale which encourages participation by families from all income levels. Everyone is welcome to attend regardless of economic status. For more information you may go online to www.ecfe.info. Senator Clinton Announces “Kinship Care” Bill Washington, DC – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY) announced she will file legislation to provide assistance to the growing number of American families in which children are being raised by their grandparents or relatives other than their parents. Senator Clinton praised the Grandparents and other relatives who take on this challenge despite facing poverty and other burdens. "Grandparents and other relatives have stepped forward, often at great personal sacrifice, to provide safe and loving homes for the children in their care. But kinship families, especially those without formal legal custody of the children under their care, face a number of unnecessary barriers," Senator Clinton's legislation will provide these families with the guidance they need to learn how to obtain health care coverage, housing assistance, childcare, enroll them in school, and gain access to other services. It will also make it possible for grandparents and other relatives to care for children who would otherwise have entered the foster care system. "Right now, it is often easier for an abused and neglected child to live in a stranger's house in foster care than with a relative," said Senator Clinton. "Too often, grandparents and other relatives want to intervene, but cannot afford to do so. In other instances, these individuals reluctantly raise the children in foster care so that they can receive compensation to cover a fraction of their expenses. My legislation will allow these relatives to become formal guardians of these children while still receiving a little financial help." Finally, Senator Clinton's legislation proposes to create a "Grandchild CareTax Credit” to assist families with working parents who cannot afford childcare and turn to their parents for help. "Grandparents who provide grandchild care receive no pay and incur significant costs. Providing them with a $500 tax credit will go a long way toward helping working families," the Senator said This proposal is supported by the Child Welfare League of America, the Children's Defense Fund, and Generation's United.Message from the Executive Director Finding Expert Legal Services A major problem for many kinship families is that they do not have the legal authority to make decisions for or to protect the children in their care. Without legal custody or a formal delegation of authority[1] to the kinship caregiver, a kinship caregiver may not be able to obtain medical treatment, enroll the children in school, or participate in the development of an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for children with disabilities. Further, without legal custody the kinship caregiver will have difficulty protecting the child from a parent who has not yet resolved the problem which led to placement in the kinship home in the first place. Kinship caregivers report that they cannot find or afford an attorney to advise them about their rights and responsibilities as kinship caregivers, or to represent them to obtain custody of the children in their care. Finding the right attorney takes time and research. Attorneys tend to specialize in certain areas of law. You want to make sure you hire someone you are comfortable working with and someone who is an expert in the area you need. You can ask friends or family who have had similar cases for referrals, or you can use the following referral services:
*For an administrative fee of $25, the Bar Association will set up a half hour appointment with an attorney who practices in the relevant legal area. If more than one half hour is needed, the client can hire the attorney at the standard fees. The Bar Associations do not give out referrals for individual attorneys and their lists are not comprehensive. If you are age 60 or older, or meet qualifying income guidelines, you may be able to find legal assistance through your local Legal Aid Office. A listing of legal services offices by county can be found in MKCA’s Legal Steps Resource Manual located on our website at www.mkca.org. Or, call the Senior Linkage Line at 1-800-333-2433. Finally, take the time to interview and ask questions of a prospective attorney. Here are some questions to consider.
And remember, always be cautious of anyone who says they will “guarantee” results in a legal dispute. [1] The Delegation of Parental Authority form and other information can be downloaded from the Legal Information page of this website. Winner of the Dawn Carlson Family Advocate Award Laurie Hanson, President of the Minnesota Kinship Caregivers Association, has received the Dawn Carlson Family Advocate Award. This award was created in memory of Dawn Carlson a gifted attorney for Legal Services of Northwestern Minnesota. The award is given annually to an advocate who provides services to low-income individuals with domestic violence, custody, divorce, or other family law problems, or whose legal work has a positive and significant effect on families. Hanson received the award primarily for her work with families with kinship caregivers and for her efforts on behalf of low-income families. “Anyone in the social services profession knows a passion comes with every new case. There are 70,000 children in Minnesota who are in the care of grandparents or other family guardians other than their mother and father. The children and their caregivers need support, assistance, and a system that work for them,” said Hanson. Hanson’s nomination and recognition is a reflection of the esteem so many of her peers in Legal Services have regarding her advocacy of elders as care-givers when families are racked with abuse, violence, or uncertainty due to death or incapacity. In addition to exceptional advocacy, Laurie is credited as an excellent manager, litigator, impact attorney, teacher, and trainer. The award has been given since 1996. This award is meant to motivate and recognize those in the legal field who, without adequate compensation or recognition, champion the plight of societies most vulnerable with tenacity, dedication, compassion, and excellence. In this spirit, this award is intended to motivate legal professionals to continue in the toil of representing low-income individuals and families, and to achieve ever higher levels of service.NICWA Conference Held In Denver MKCA, MN Indian Women’s Resource Center, and MN Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome presented workshops at the National Indian Child Welfare Conference. The organizations were among 31 out of 65 selected to present at the annual conference. The workshop, entitled, “You Are Not Alone: Partners Who Care” highlighted the steps the three organizations take in building a collaborative partnership to deliver programs to grandparents and relatives raising children. By using the example of their work with the Boise Forte Band of Ojibway in planning grandparent programs they illustrated the steps used. In addition, they showed how Generations United, a national organization, works in partnership with them.
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