US: Relatives Raising Children: Why is it so Difficult? (Opinion)
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Blog – March 24, 2022
Life is harder than it has to be for families where grandparents or other relatives step up to care for children when their parents can’t. Our family-supportive policies and systems were designed to serve “traditional families,” with services aimed at “parents” and foster families, not relatives who step up. These families face unnecessary barriers to getting the support children need to thrive. This is especially true among Black and American Indian families, who make up a disproportionate share of the 2.6 million families in the United States where children are growing up without parents in the home. The pandemic has made things worse. COVID-19 has robbed thousands of children of their parents and sent them into the care of relatives.
Also: State of Grandfamilies 2021: Reinforcing a Strong Foundation: Equitable Supports for Basic Needs of Grandfamilies: https://www.gu.org/app/uploads/2022/02/2021-Grandfamilies-Report_V14.pdf
Also: Reinforcing a Strong Foundation: Equitable Supports for Basic Needs of Grandfamilies: https://www.gu.org/resources/state-of-grandfamilies-report-2021/
https://www.rwjf.org/en/blog/2022/03/relatives-raising-children-why-is-it-so-difficult.html