The Pennsylvania Departments of Human Services and Aging have announced a helpline for families in kinship care situations, including grandparents raising their grandchildren because of the opioid crisis. The helpline is staffed by Kinship Navigators – compassionate, knowledgeable social service professionals prepared to help families locate, understand, and access resources that may be able to help them. Kinship Navigators will connect grandparents and other relatives who are raising children with resources such as health, financial and legal services, support groups, training, and parenting advice. They will help families locate physical or behavioral health services, enroll the child in school, find support groups and other services designed to help caregivers. They will also be available to help families apply for federal, state, and local benefits such as Social Security, public assistance or CHIP. In addition, a website of resources is set to launch later this year. KinConnector can be reached by calling 1-866-KIN-2111 (1-866-546-2111) Monday – Thursday 9:00 am – 10:00 pm and Friday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.
