Sec. 2. Findings
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/bill/115/s/2543/is/section-2·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
Congress makes the following findings: 2,500,000 children in the United States are living in kinship care with grandparents or other relatives. With the rise of heroin and other opioid-use, more kin caregivers are stepping up to raise children who are in need of foster care and permanent homes. Grandparents and relatives residing in urban, rural, and suburban households in every county of the United States have stepped forward out of love and loyalty to care for children during times in which parents are unable to do so.
Kinship caregivers provide safety, promote well-being, and establish stable households for vulnerable children. Kinship care enables a child to maintain family relationships and cultural heritage and remain in the community of the child. Kinship care is a national resource that provides loving homes for children at risk. Kinship caregivers face daunting challenges to keep countless children from entering foster care. Kinship navigator programs have been shown to proactively provide support to kinship caregivers in an effort to avert crises and potentially prevent more costly services.