The New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (NYS OASAS) has launched the Kinship Care Toolkit to support relatives and family friends who are caring full-time for children whose parents can no longer take care of them due to substance use or addiction, incarceration, death, or other circumstances. The toolkit was developed in partnership with the NYS Kinship Navigator.
“Unfortunately, there are many circumstances in which parents are no longer able to care for their children, often through no fault of their own.” (OASAS) Commissioner Arlene González-Sánchez said. “With the launch of this toolkit, we are giving non-parent caregivers the resources and information they need to help these children navigate a difficult time, as well as support their own well-being.”
Kinship care refers to extended family members such as grandparents, aunts or uncles, or other extended relatives, as well as family friends who are caring full-time for children whose parents are absent or face limitations on caring for them. The toolkit was designed to help maintain family bonds and assist caregivers in having conversations about these topics with young people.
The toolkit provides information on subjects such as grief, identifying red-flag behavior in youth, having age-appropriate discussions, and self-care for kinship care providers. It also includes interactive exercises for children in kinship care to help express their feelings and promote positive thinking and self-image.
The new toolkit is available at https://oasas.ny.gov/
kinship-care-toolkit.
New Yorkers struggling with an addiction, or whose loved ones are struggling, can find help and hope by calling the state’s toll-free, 24-hour, seven-day-a-week HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY (1-877-846-7369) or by texting HOPENY (Short Code 467369). Available addiction treatment including crisis/detox, inpatient, community residence, or outpatient care can be found using the NYS OASAS Treatment Availability Dashboard at FindAddictionTreatment.ny.gov or through the NYS OASAS website.
Those who have experienced insurance obstacles related to treatment or who need help filing an appeal for a denied claim, can contact the CHAMP helpline by phone at 888-614-5400 or e-mail at ombuds@oasas.ny.gov.
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