Today, nearly 650 North Dakotans provide kinship care to more than 1,170 children who cannot remain in their homes safely.
Whether it’s a grandparent, aunt, uncle, godparent, older sibling, extended family member or someone who shares a close relationship with a child (fictive kin), September is a month designated to recognize and celebrate those who provide full-time care, nurturing support, protection, and care for children.
For nearly a decade, a North Dakotan grandfather has been a guardian for three of his grandchildren. Initially, he and his wife, the children’s grandmother, took on this role together when the children’s parents became incarcerated from their struggles with substance use. Prior to his wife’s passing, they promised each other that they would make sure their grandchildren would always be safe and cared for, no matter what.
Keeping the promise made, the grandfather continues to care for their three grandchildren as their guardian.
“Having guardianship has changed my life immensely,” he said. “I will do anything for my grandchildren and they love being with me. The children have a lot of friends and adult mentors, and I have support from family, friends and the teachers at school.”
This grandfather’s story is similar to the experience of other North Dakotans who have shown support in providing children with a safe and nurturing home. Today, nearly 40% of children in foster care are placed with a kinship caregiver, 77% of those being grandparents.
“Keeping children closer to home with someone they know and trust provides a safe and familiar environment for children, and the opportunity and time for parents to address their specific situation,” Children and Family Services Director Cory Pedersen said. “Kinship caregivers serve an important role in supporting the well-being of children and keeping families together.”
To support kinship caregivers, HHS launched the Kinship-ND program. The program provides caregivers with one-on-one support offering assistance on parenting topics and resources, financial resources, understanding legal options, navigating education systems, building connections with other kinship caregivers and more. Kinship-ND has assisted 930 caregivers since its inception in July 2020.
Families may face various challenges that can prevent children from staying in their homes safely. In some cases, this may involve a child experiencing abuse or neglect or when a parent passes away. Other times, parents may be navigating complex physical or mental health conditions or experiencing challenges with substance use.
The primary goal remains keeping children with their families or safely reunifying them whenever possible. In its effort to support building strong, stable, healthy families and communities, HHS offers financial assistance programs that can be found at hhs.nd.gov/applyforhelp and behavioral health programs that can be found at hhs.nd.gov/behavioral-health/find-services.
Visit kinshipnd.com for more information about the Kinship-ND program.