Four Things to Know as We Celebrate Kinship Care in Pennsylvania
 SEPTEMBER 2, 2022 Four Things to Know as We Celebrate Kinship Care in Pennsylvania Every child deserves a safe, supportive, and permanent family. At the same time, every family should have the support of a strong and caring community, especially in cases where caregivers have opened their homes to adoption, foster children, or kinship care. September is National Kinship Care Month. Kinship care refers to caregivers — grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, adult siblings, and even family friends — who make the selfless choice to take on traditional parenting responsibilities when biological parents cannot. The Pennsylvania KinConnector program works in all 67 counties of the commonwealth to uplift these families by providing education, support, and resources to grandparents and other relatives who are raising children. The KinConnector helpline (1-866-KIN-2111) is staffed by knowledgeable, compassionate social service professionals with access to these much-needed resources. In the United States, there are more than 2.7 million children living with relatives. In Pennsylvania alone, more than 200,000 children are in kinship care. Often, when a child enters foster care, child welfare agencies will first turn to that child’s relatives for placement. This is done to help the child maintain important connections with within the family. In honor of National Kinship Care Month, this is the perfect time to celebrate and support all of Pennsylvania’s kinship families. LEARN MORE ABOUT PA KINSHIP CARE Call the PA KinConnector Support Line Today! 1-866-KIN-2111 The helpline is available from 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. (Assistance is available in both English and Spanish.) 4 Things to Know about Kinship Care In Pennsylvania. 1. There are two types of kinship care. There’s informal kinship care, as well as formal kinship care. Some children might be placed with their relatives privately (informal), while others are formally placed in kinship care by a child welfare agency (public kinship care or kinship foster care). 2. There are many reasons why children end up in kinship care. In recent years, the opioid epidemic and parental substance use has caused an increase in the need for kinship care, but it is just one of many reasons that kinship families come together. Other reasons kinship families form might include parental military deployment, incarceration, mental or physical illness, and death. Whatever the cause, when parents are unable to care for their children, these caregivers often step in at a moment’s notice to keep families together. 3. A biological parent can still maintain a connection with their child during kinship care. Learn more: Parental Roles When biological parents are not able to take on the traditional responsibilities of parenting, there are a number of roles they can assume that match their abilities, and allow them to maintain a positive connection with their children. 4. There are resources available to kinship caregivers Find Kinship Services available in your County PA KinConnector helps to assist kinship caregivers by providing information on financial assistance, legal information and referrals, and other issues caregivers face when raising children to provide stability and permanency in the home. Resources available to Kinship Families Behavioral Health Services Child care Find Child Care & Other Early Learning Programs — PA KinConnector Child Care Works Subsidized Child Care Program — DHS PA 211 Family Resources Clothing PA 211 Clothing & Household Resources Food Assistance Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — DHS Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) — DHS National School Lunch Program — PA Dept. of Education PA 211 Food Assistance Resources Health Care Services Medical Assistance (Medicaid) — DHS Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) — DHS Financial Services Unemployment Compensation — PA. Dept. of Labor and Industry Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) — DHS Housing Resources — DHS PA 211 Housing & Shelter Legal services DHS Legal Resources PA 211 Legal Services Senior Law Center School Support Early Childhood Education — DHS Early Learning Resource Centers (ELRC) — The Pennsylvania Key Online Resources for Families — PA Dept. of Education Support for Families Virtual Support Groups — PA KinConnector Trainings Kinship Family Trainings — PA KinConnector Training for Child Care Professionals — PA KinConnector  Save the Date! Free Family Strengths Training Webinars “The Inherent Strengths of Kinship Care” • Dates: September 15, 22, & 29, 2022 • Time: 10 a.m.-Noon • Presenter: Dr. Joseph Crumbley, internationally renowned kinship expert, consultant, and author. REGISTER NOW! SPACE IS LIMITED More from DHS |
The Arc Lancaster Lebanon Friends and Family
View this email in your browser   Lancaster Luncheon…Save the Date! Register now, and we’ll send you a reminder in September. There is no cost to attend, and you can always update your registration status if your number of guests or availability changes. Register HERE!   Welcome, Marilyn!We are excited to have Marilyn Vizcaino join our team, allowing us to serve those who speak Spanish. Marilyn will be assisting with outreach to Spanish-speaking communities, event participation, and translation service provision during Advocacy meetings and IM4Q surveys.    Copyright © 2022 The Arc Lancaster Lebanon, All rights reserved.You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: The Arc Lancaster Lebanon 116 W Airport Rd Ste A Lititz, PA 17543-9239 Add us to your address book www.thearclancleb.org info@thearclancleb.org Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list. |
Positive Approach to Care
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| Click here to view PAC’s Free July Events Brought to you by: Announcing Teepa Snow’s Positive Approach to Care™ 2022 PAC Conference. Attend virtually or in-person in Raleigh, North Carolina on November 13-15, 2022. Learn more at www.teepasnow.info/2022conference Interested in having your organization be a monthly sponsor? Complete our sponsorship form or email us at info@teepasnow.com. |
Upcoming Courses and Certifications Browse Upcoming Certifications >>  PAC Champion Course 4 Friday, July 29, 2022 10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET (-4 GMT) 2 total hours of training for only $49 USD Learn how to identify Teepa Snow’s GEMS States of Dementia® in this highly interactive session. Register for Champion Course Level 4 >> Book Early! Tickets On Sale Now!  Positive Approach to Care ConferenceNovember 13-15, 2022 This year’s conference focuses on ways you can support function for those living with neurodiversity. Learn strategies for mouth care, personal and intimate care, movement, spirituality, and more. A person-centered dementia care event to help you become the best care partner possible. Buy Tickets >> Upcoming Free Events and Content Positive Approach to Care (PAC) offers FREE dementia care events every week for care partners like you. View Calendar of FREE PAC Events  Brain Connection CaféMonday, July 25, 2022 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm ET (-4 GMT) FREE activity open to anyone!  Live Webinar with TeepaTuesday, July 26, 2022 10:00 am – 11:00 am ET (-4 GMT) Sponsored by Agrace Topic: Techniques for Approaching Complex Situations in Dementia Care. FREE and open to the public. Registration is required.  Bingo with Creativity Café Monday, August 1, 2022 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm ET (-4 GMT) FREE activity open to anyone! Have questions? We are happy to help! Call us at 877-877-1671 ext 0 or email us at info@teepasnow.com Content for People Living with Dementia Content for Family Care Partners Content for Professional Care Partners Content for Organizations and Businesses |
PENNCARES UPCOMING TRAININGS
| PennCares conducts researched-based trainings designed to assist caregivers, families, and professional individuals working in the field of human services. PennCares provides trainings with excellent resources, current information, all in an engaging webinar format, which are fun, informative, and keeps the attention of participants. Below are PennCares upcoming trainings. For more information and to register, click on each title of the trainings which will take you to its registration page. Visit our website, www.penncares.org often to see the most recent up-to-date list of our training offerings. |
May 10, 2022 This program is in partnership with the Pennsylvania Association of Senior Centers/White Rose Senior Center |
(1st of 2 Part Series) May 18, 2022 (1st Session) Sept. 19, 2022 (2nd Session)This program is made possible through a grant from Greater Harrisburg Community Upstream |
(3 Part Series) Must attend all Sessions to Receive books and Certificate of Attendance May 19, 2022 (1st Session) July 11, 2022 (2nd Session) August 3, 2022 (3rd Session)This program is made possible through a grant from Greater Harrisburg Community Upstream |
Managing Adjustments after the Losses of the Pandemic May 24, 2022 – Coming Soon This webinar is made possible through a generous grant from the Memorial Health Fund |
June 14, 2022This webinar is made possible through a generous Quality of Life grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation |
June 15, 2022 This webinar is made possible through a generous Quality of Life grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation |
June 16, 2022This webinar is presented by Drug Free Workplace PA |
| “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.”― Henry Ford Please keep checking our website for new trainings and information on how you can register throughout the summer months! |
| CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS |
May 18, and May 25, 2022 This is program is made possible through a grant from the York County Community Foundation |
This program is made possible through a grant from the Stabler Foundation |
Look for PennCares educational presentations at these upcoming conferences.May 10, 2022 – – Holistic Approaches in Addiction Recovery at theDauphin County Addictions Conference (Penn State Harrisburg, Middletown, PA)June 8, 2022 – – Combating Social Isolation at the PHFA Conference (Kalahari Resort at Pocono Manor, PA) |
CARE FOR THE FAMILY CAREGIVER:USING SELF-CARE TO COMBAT COMPASSION FATIGUE
| FREE TRAINING In Person Webinar CARE FOR THE FAMILY CAREGIVER: USING SELF-CARE TO COMBAT COMPASSION FATIGUE |
| Register Today! A Resource Fair Will Follow the Presentation May 13, 2022 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Description: Are you taking care of a child, parent or other family members with developmental or medical needs? Are you struggling with the stress of caring for them? Is the day to day stress impacting your daily life? Participants will learn how to identify stressors and learn strategies to decrease depression and anxiety of being a family caregiver. Stress Relief Kits will be given to participants at the live presentation. Participants will also be offered a free class at Lotus Moon Gallery and Yoga and a free fun art make and take session at Hammer & Stain Chambersburg. Objectives: Define and explain the following terms: compassion fatigue, burn out and stress. Understand the difference between compassion fatigue and burn out and how the two terms are related. Understand how stress impacts the body, mind and soul.Practice tips for self-regulation techniques. Target Audience:Family caregivers who provide care to family members with developmental and medical needs. Professional Caregivers who support families. This presentation and the free classes are funded by Summit Endowment. For more information or for help registering, please contact Cynthia Bosserman at cbosserman@penncares.org or (717) 632-552 x3102Friday May13 9:30-11:00 AM Click to Register In Person Location: LifePoint Church339 Lincoln Way East Chambersburg |
Berks - Lancaster - Lebanon LINK Service Area 
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