Raising a relative’s child, whether your grandchild, nephew, or another loved one, often takes additional layers of support and care you might not have needed when raising your original family. When you care for this child without oversight from a child welfare professional, it’s easy to be unaware of your local community’s many resources and tools. Even if you do work with social workers or case workers, it’s easy to “miss the memo” about training for raising a child with prenatal substance exposure, how to advocate at school, or webinars for understanding the IEP process.

As a kinship caregiver, you need all the support available to learn how to meet this child’s needs, navigate new dynamics within your family, and set your loved ones up for success. You might not know where to turn.