FIVE18 provides support and training for those offering kinship.

What is a Kinship Caregiver?
Kinship caregivers come in every shape and size. Many of them are older and plenty are young. Some of them work with Human Services and get licensed as foster parents. Some of them have written agreements out of court to make decisions for the kids in their care. Some of them are just doing their best to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads, unaware that lifesavers are waiting for them in the form of kinship navigators. No matter their unique circumstance, kinship caregivers provide full-time care to a child relative not born to them.

Am I a Kinship Caregiver?
Who are you? Well, you might be Grandma, Pappow, a brother, an auntie, a cousin, or maybe you are just “Uncle Tim,” the forever family friend who has always been there to help - if you are caring for one of your family’s kiddos, then YOU are a kinship caregiver. These children aren’t your sons and daughters, but circumstance says they are yours to love, provide for, and keep safe for this season. When the phone rang with your loved one on the other end in crisis, you said, “Yes, I’ll take them.” When your loved one never came back from that afternoon errand, you just kept on watching the children. When you got a call from the hospital nurse about your loved one, your thoughts raced to keep the kids for a while. You are the one who said “yes” to prevent the children you love from going “in the system” - or perhaps you said “yes” to save them from growing up there. In short, you have answered the call in 1 Timothy 5:8 to provide for your family.

FYI: Kinship Care in the United States
The GrandKin Guide (download guide) - this informational guide provides choices, financial, legal issues, trauma-informed parenting, kinship faqs to help guide you through decisions as you walk the path of providing Kinship Care.

Serving: Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Campbell, Lynchburg, Nelson

Program: In partnership with DSS, providing a pathway for interested kinship caregivers to become certified as foster parents. This occurs through Kinship Resource Family Training - offered regionally three times yearly through a multi-week course based on established evidence-based curriculums (Pride, Traditions of Caring, and Foster Parent College) but with a focus on the unique needs and concerns of kinship families. The training is open to kin who intend to foster, relative custodians, as well as diversionary families.

Regional Kinship Navigator Services: Individualized service with a family advocate - our goal is to assist kinship caregivers in learning about, finding, and using programs and services to meet the needs of the children they are raising, in addition to their own needs as caregivers. This can include:

• Family evaluations to identify strengths and needs
• Referral to community resources 
• Support groups for local kinship caregivers 
• Assistance applying for financial/food/heating assistance 
• Assistance applying for medical insurance 
• Parent and youth education opportunities, including but not limited to:
  • trauma-informed care
  • trust-based relational intervention
  • teaching family model of care
  • families' first phase model to prevent out-of-home placements
  • circle of security & circle of support

Ways to help:

• Care for a child,

• Bring a meal,

• Be a weekend reprieve for a caregiver,

• Donate formula, clothes, or bedding, or

• Give a ride or mentor a child (Give | Volunteer)

Serving Amhest, Appomattox, Bedfor, Campbell, Lynchburg, Nelson and Roanoke counties.

Saying ‘Yes’ gives these children a chance to be raised in love.

[email protected]

434.300.HOPE x333

1056 Vista Park Drive
Forest, VA

Serving Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Campbell, Lynchburg, Nelson, and Roanoke counties.

Saying ‘Yes’ gives these children a chance to be raised in love.

If you are or have a referral, please fill out the Kinship Navigator Referral Form and someone will contact you soon.

The intent of this resource page is to assist our visitors in finding easy access to helpful information, tools, and guides a in our specific region. This list will continue to be updated

1. 211 Information
   
   
2. Vision30
   Vision30 has a vital mission: By 2030, we want to see every child in our region safe in their own family, or in another setting with caregivers supported by a local faith community.
   
   We believe God wants to deliver help, hope, and healing to every struggling child and family in South-Central Virginia. So, our mission is built on the foundation of partnership with other agencies, churches and families.
   
   
3. Legal Options
   Kinship Rights Brochure - Virginia's legal options for a relative when a child cannot live with his parents.
   A useful guide from VDSS (download PDF).
   
   
4. Entitlements
   We encourage kinship caregivers to work directly with your local DSS instead of using the online tool to ensure the application is processed as a kinship placement instead of as a traditional family application.
   Below are useful videos provided by CommonHelp VA:

• • “CommonHelp - How to Apply for Benefits” (link to video)
    The basics of using CommonHelp so you can get started.
    
    
  • “CommonHelp - After Applying for Benefits” (link to video)
    Using CommonHelp after submitting and application or already are receiving aid from DSS or if you have helping someone receiving help.
    
    
  • “CommonHelp - Am I Eligible for Benefits?” (link to video)
    The Department of Family Services shows you, step-by-step, how to determine if you are eligible for SNAP (food assistance), Medicaid, and more using the CommonHelp website.

Saying ‘Yes’ gives these children a chance to be raised in love.