EDUCator’s Note: According to the data of research In pediatrics, children of color are at a much higher risk of losing a caregiver than white children.
NS The effects can be long-lasting. These losses also greatly increase the responsibility for grandparents and other loved ones who will be taking care of the child. In a powerful post last year, RWJF’s Jennie Day-Burget looked at what The United generation has learned about the challenges grandparent carers face and the policies that will support them. As Congress debates budget adjustments, we share her work.
Mel Hannah has spent most of her life serving others. He was the first African-American member of the Flagstaff City Council and was vice president of the Arizona NAACP State Convention. And, to serve his beloved family, Mel and his wife Shirley, now in their 80s, have helped their daughter Ashley raise their three children over the years. Sadly, however, Ashley fell ill and tragically died from COVID-19 in May. Ashley’s untimely death made Hannah the sole caregiver for her young sons, 5. , 4 and 1 year old.
Hannahs’ story illustrates the devastating toll the pandemic has taken, and in particular the unique and often overlooked impact it is having on “relative families” or kin. These are families where children live and are being raised by grandparents, other large family members, and adults with whom they have a close family-like relationship, such as godparents and parents. close family friends. An astonishing 7.8 million children across the country live in households headed by grandparents or other relatives. Of those, 2.7 million people without a parent live in the household.
Often, these families come together because of serious circumstances – including death, trauma, action, incarceration or substance abuse, and, since March, the death of a parent due to COVID-19. Parenting is tough at any age, but doing so during “golden years” like Hannahs – especially during a global pandemic – comes with its own set of challenges.
A report from Generations United, recipient of an RWJF grant, sheds light on families like Hannah’s, including the specific challenges they are facing as the world grapples with the coronavirus. Report found:
- Nearly half of grandparents who care for grandparents are 60 years of age or older and at high risk for COVID-19.
- More caregivers of grandparents have disabilities than parents and are also at higher risk for COVID-19.
- Children raised in grandparents families are more likely to be black or Native American than white. These are the same populations that are most likely to be affected by the pandemic and die as a result.
Kin Caregiving poses unique challenges
The report also presents the first nationwide survey of families during COVID-19, conducted in partnership with GrOW (Grandfamilies Outcome Workgroup) and Collaborative Solutions, showing a growing need for homes related to housing. housing, food insecurity and respite care plans:
- 38% can’t afford or worry about paying mortgage or rent
- 43% are afraid to leave the house for food
- 32% go to the food pick up location after the food runs out
- 30% do not have a child care plan if a caregiver dies or becomes disabled
We have all heard that older adults should keep their distance from children because the risk of contracting COVID-19 is very high. For those with maternal surnames, that distance is impossible.
In addition, caregivers of relatives do not always have automatic legal authority to access support and services for the children in their care. That becomes especially difficult when it comes time to enroll, access health care, or find another adult to care for the child if the caregiver dies. Acquiring legal jurisdiction has been complicated by the pandemic for many families as courts are often closed, the need for attorneys is high, and the need to establish respite care plans is urgent because of the circumstances. Unexpected death from COVID-19.
Finally, most caregivers do not have a parenting plan at this point in their lives. Often, their homes don’t have extra room to accommodate children and they live on a fixed income so supporting children can be difficult.
Benefits of taking care of Kin
Decades of research show that children raised by loving family members do much better than children raised by unrelated parents in caregiving. foster care. Children living with relatives have more stable and secure childhoods and are more likely to have permanent housing. These children were less likely to change schools, had better behavioral and mental health outcomes, and perhaps most importantly, were more likely to report that they “always felt loved.” They keep better ties with siblings, extended family and cultural identity.
There are also significant savings for taxpayers – an estimated $4 billion a year as paternal families are looking after children that would otherwise be in foster care. *
* Generations United calculated this figure based on the federal share of the 2011 national average minimum monthly foster care maintenance payments ($511) for 1.1 million children. Less than half of children raised in families outside of formal foster care are less than half of all children raised in families with maternal surnames. We use this number in our calculations due to a conservative estimate that others may have received some type of government financial assistance, such as the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). ) for children only. Generations United also knows that some children in grandparents’ families with special needs warrant higher monthly foster care maintenance payments. The cost of 1.1 million children participating in the system would represent all new financial outlays for taxpayers.
Policy and Practice Recommendations to Support Grandmothers and Kin Care
The report includes strong policy and practice recommendations that will better support these families. Some of the things that are particularly important are:
- Increase funding for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and encourage states, tribes, and localities to increase the monthly child-only benefit amount to reflect foster care payments in each jurisdiction.
- Coordinate COVID-19 response efforts across systems– including old age, education, housing and child welfare – to ensure that grandparents’ families can receive services and supports such as legal help to implement respite care plans position; child care and surrogacy; hardware and technology support; financial support and housing; help with court orders and authorized visitation child welfare plans; and carer training and other supports.
- Improve access to TANF’s child-only benefits through simplified apps and greater outreach so caregivers can meet the needs of children they didn’t plan or expect to raise.
- Allowing more relatives to be adoptive parents by responding to pandemic delays with innovative virtual solutions and other known solutions.
- Use inclusive language and images in outreach materials, such as “carers” or “family members.”
Lineages must be included in a Fair COVID-19 Recovery,
The health of our nation depends on the health and well-being of our children and families — all of our families. All parents and carers strive to provide the best for their children. But in America today, families don’t have equal access – and the COVID-19 pandemic is making those gaps even wider. Families are making impossible choices between putting food on the table, providing shelter and getting quality health care when their children are sick. A recent poll released by RWJF, NPR, and the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health found that households with children have experienced severe, severe financial and health problems since they were born. beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, including issues with childcare and paying bills.
These challenges are often exacerbated for grandparents families. For example, when Mel and Shirely Hannah’s daughter Ashley lived with them, she worked and was able to help with household expenses. They have struggled financially since her death. They had trouble covering their $400 a month energy bill and had to give up internet connections, making it difficult for their five-year-old to take classes online.
It is important to understand the stories like Hannahs and others that you may hear on Every Family Forward, so that we can consider, discuss, and design equitable policies and systems that support all families, including families, who have lived unnoticed and under-resourced for too long.
Learn more about the unique challenges that families like the Hannah family are facing by reading Generations United’s 2020 American Grandparental State Annual Report, Facing the Pandemic: The Joint family living during COVID-19 and Growing Further.
About the author
