Public Policy Institute Presents
2009 Spring Seminar:
Kinship Care: Taking Care of Our Children, Parents, Grandchildren, and Other Relatives
March 17, 2009 - OCALA - FLORIDA
To provide leadership in identifying recommendations for an improved community, the Public Policy Institute (PPI) of Marion County will host a spring seminar entitled, Kinship Care: Taking Care of Our Children, Parents, Grandchildren, and Other Relatives on Tuesday, April 7th, 3:30-5:00 p.m. in the Klein Conference Center at Central Florida Community College. This event is free and open to the public. For additional information or to RSVP, contact: Crystal Flynn, Director, at 352-291-4433.
Keynote Speaker for the event is Helene LaBrecque Ellis, author of A Kinship Guide to Rescuing Children for Grandparents and Other Relatives as Parents. Ellis has over 30 years experience in Child Abuse Prevention, Kinship Care, and collaboration with community agencies. She has been a technical advisor for the Michigan Children’s Trust Fund, on the board for Michigan Child Abuse and Neglect prevention, and on the Michigan Strong Families Safe Children collaborative consortium.
Ellis will present an overview of legal options, social services, counseling, issues associated with long-term care commitment, and will also discuss how to establish a Kinship Care Resource Center. Seminar panelists include KidsCentral, Inc., Elder Options, and Marion County Senior Services.
The Public Policy Institute is coordinating a Kinship Care study that will be released to the community later this year. The study will address the following objectives:
- What are the root causes for children being raised by relatives versus their biological parents?
- What are the trends regarding the number of elders dependent upon family for care?
- What are the needs of kinship caregivers?
- Do existing resources meet the needs of kinship caregivers and what additional support services are needed to assist relative caregivers who are traditionally reluctant to seek help from outside sources?
- What are the access-to-health care issues facing relative caregivers?
- What governmental assistance programs are available for relative caregivers?
- What best practices to support kinship care are being implemented in other communities?
- What policy recommendations can be identified to address kinship care concerns?
About PPI: The Public Policy Institute of Marion County (PPI) is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to advancing public interest, building democracy and community, and improving the quality of life by involving citizens in addressing community issues.
For additional information about PPI: http://ppiofmarioncounty.cf.edu