Welcome to the March Kentucky Kinship Resource Center (KKRC) Newsletter!

We are excited to bring you the March edition of this newsletter, highlighting all of the programs and events designed to support YOU as a kinship caregiver.

Featured in this newsletter...

KY-KINS (Kentucky Kinship, Information, Navigation, and Support) is an individualized, one-on-one support program that matches kinship caregivers with trained Peer Supporters who have personal experience in caring for a kinship child.

Connect with a Peer Supporter virtually every week to receive support, guidance, education, and resources relevant to your situation as a kinship caregiver. 

For more info on the KY-KINS program, please feel free to check out the video below:

Hello, my name is Rachael Wall. I am a Kentucky native and mother to six children ranging in age from six to 25. My parenting experiences come from 11 years of foster parenting, four adoptions and multiple kinship placements.

I became a Family Peer Support Specialist (FPSS) with the KY- KINS program in 2022, bringing 17 years of experience working with families in Kentucky as a Community Resource Specialist, Special Advocate for Education, Adoptive Parent Liaison and Resource Parent Trainer.

My personal experiences with kinship care (both relative and non-relative) and adoption, along with years of advocacy experience in education, family services and community supports is what compelled me to be a part of KY-KINS. I know firsthand many of the challenges families face and how encouraging it would have been to have someone help me understand and find a way through my kinship journey. 

What we at the KKRC love about Rachael: Rachael shares with her kinship families that her kinship journey has helped her and her family grow.  As a Peer Supporter, Rachael works hard to help her kinship caregivers cheer on the small triumphs, acknowledge the challenges and celebrate all the growth that happens in between!

KIN-VIP groups are led by individuals who are experienced in kinship care and facilitating group meetings. These groups meet throughout the month at designated days and times through unique zoom meeting links, making it easy and convenient to join. Just tap the link and join the meeting.

Not sure which group is for you? Just call Sheila Rentfrow at 859-257-4785 or email sheila.rentfrow@uky.edu for assistance in getting connected.

Arion Jett-Seals facilitates the Advocacy: Making Your Kinship Voice Heard! Meeting on the second Monday of every month, from 12 p.m. – 1 p.m. ET via zoom, this group is an opportunity to come together to learn how to best advocate for kinship care.

Beginning in March, this group will be working on a project that will help kinship caregivers learn how they can get involved in advocacy. Join us on March 11 at 12 p.m. ET to be a part of this exciting group! 

Check out all of our March Support Groups by clicking the button below!

The KINSHIP Catalogue is a great place to find information! Whether it is a LIVE webinar, an On-Demand Webinar, or a Training Module, this continually expanding library will have resources that can help you in your kinship journey. Check out what’s coming this month:

Parenting Series Part II: Behaviors Out of Control - Managing Oppositional Defiant Behaviors. Tuesday, March 12 from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.

Caring for a child that struggles behaviorally is exhausting and frustrating.  Kids that break rules, lose their temper, and challenge caregivers can make you feel like giving up.  In this webinar, we will look at how to care for these types of children, including how to provide effective structure and discipline designed to help you feel more confident as a caregiver.

These groups will start as a 12-week pilot and offer financial incentives for participants. Once the group begins, no further sign-ups will be permitted for the 12-week course.

Need help navigating family relationships after becoming a kinship caregiver? This is often one of the most difficult areas to navigate. Join us as we explore these relationships and share tools to improve relationships with our family members. Only a few spots remaining.

Caring for children diagnosed with an emotional, developmental, behavioral, or learning issue or disorder can be exhausting for caregivers who are trying to both understand the child’s needs and manage their care. This group will offer support, resources, and encouragement to those caring for special needs children. Sign up today, space is limited!

Featured for this month is March’s Grandparents As Parents of Kentucky (GAP) Grandparents Raising Children Conference, taking place on March 21 in Lexington. This is a large, in-person conference gathering for kinship caregivers featuring inspiring and knowledgeable speakers, on-site agencies that support kinship care and provide resources/services, and the opportunity to become a part of the larger kinship community in Kentucky.

March signals a time for renewal, a time for new growth, a time for warm temperatures and blooming flowers. In this new season of spring, I hope that you will take the opportunity to look for new ways you can connect to others and find personal renewal for your journey.  Being a kinship caregiver comes with its challenges and its celebrations, but there is a lot of growth that happens in between because you chose to become a kinship caregiver to a child. Be sure to take time to find opportunities where you can engage with other kinship caregivers to find help and encouragement for the challenges, cheers for the celebrations, and support for the growth in between. New things are blooming at the KKRC - come find your place of growth!

Whether you need support or you would like to offer support, please connect with us and share your kinship heart. As always, if I can help you in your kinship journey, please feel free to call me at 859-257-4785 or email me at sheila.rentfrow@uky.edu 

Sheila Rentfrow

Kinship Program Coordinator

University of Kentucky College of Social Work

Centers & Labs Training Resource Center

1648 McGrathiana Pkwy, Suite 400

Lexington, KY 40511

859-257-4785

sheila.rentfrow@uky.edu

Please fill out the form below and let us know how we can best support you as a kinship caregiver.