Kinship Care

VISTA Member: Allison Andrelchik
Year of Service: November 2007 -2008

Project Overview: The kinship programs at Arizona's Children Association and NACOG's (Northern Arizona Council of Government) Area Agency on Aging have collaborated to better serve the unique needs of Kinship Families in Northern Arizona. Kinship families are often over looked and often do not utilize or receive many services. Unfortunately, these families are who need resources the most.

Supporting Organizations: Founded in 1912, initially as Arizona Children's Home, the state's first orphanage, Arizona's Children Association is presently the oldest and largest statewide child welfare and behavioral health nonprofit agency in Arizona. Arizona's Children has stayed true to its mission of 'Protecting Children and Preserving Families' for 94 years, serving over 42,000 children up to age 18 and their families annually across all 15 counties in the state. With a focus on healing abused, neglected, and behaviorally-challenged children and their families, the mission is driven by more than 40 Prevention, Intervention and Permanency services. All programs are family focused, strength based, culturally sensitive and outcome driven. Arizona's Children has been recognized by The Business Journal as one of Arizona's top ranking charitable organizations. Arizona's Children Association received a three year grant from the Marley Foundation to create a program to stabilize and preserve kinship families through information and referral, community development, support groups, and more

The Mission Statement of the Northern Arizona Council of Governments Area Agency on Aging is to maximize independence and dignity for older persons in Northern Arizona through planning, developing, and implementing a comprehensive, coordinated system of care and services. The Area Agency on Aging advocates for the needs and rights of older citizens and supports their families and caregivers. It provides financial assistance to these families through DES allocated monies to help with transitions and providing monthly stipends for kinship families.

Project goals: With a focus on drug-impacted kinship families, this project will identify existing resources for Kinship families, creating a network of programs to support these families. This will in turn identify the gaps in services available, and ways of filling those gaps. By helping the children and their relatives stepping in to raise them, this will prevent continued substance abuse and establish permanency for the children, and ultimately bring Kinship families out of poverty.

Accomplishments

Since November, the VISTA kinship program has been able to sign up about 55 families across Yavapai County for the Area Agency on Aging KinCare monies. An information and referral system has been completed for kinship families to call and receive help with a variety of issues has been set in place at Arizona's Children Association with two full time staff members available to help families in need. Also, two community forums focused on kinship families have been completed. The information gathered from the forums will be used to guide the creation of new programs in the future.

What's Happening Now?

Currently a wide variety of programs are being developed among the two organizations. An Advisory Council, consisting of numerous agencies and families, is set in place and will begin meeting by mid-May. A newsletter is also in the works for kinship families; to help spotlight certain issues and provide information in an easily accessible manner to these families. There are many other projects waiting to commence, and with the help of the advisory council and further involvement from families, the Area Agency on Aging and Arizona's Children Association will be able to create programs to better serve and sustain kinship families within Yavapai County.