Kinship Care Support Groups

Why Might Kinship Care Families in Pennsylvania Go to a Support Group?

Pennsylvania kinship caregivers often face overwhelming physical and emotional challenges. Older caregivers may experience stress and isolation as they watch their peers participate in other activities. Support groups can help kinship care families support one another. These groups often provide social and emotional support for members by providing advice and understanding. Some groups also take on a proactive and political role as they work toward improving local or state policies.

Benefits of Belonging to a Kinship Care Support Group

Support groups can benefit Pennsylvania families because they:

• Help reduce caregiver stress and improve their health, resulting in greater physical and emotional stability.
• Provide a sense of solidarity for caregivers, knowing others are in the same situation.
• Enable caregivers to focus more fully on the best interests of the children in their care, creating a safer, more stable, and consistent living environment.
• Offer new caregivers a sense of social validation for their efforts and guidance in navigating challenges that many of their peers may not understand.

Organizing a Support Group

If a kinship care support group does not exist in your area, you can start your own with the following steps:

• Gather information about other kinds of support groups; attend a neighboring group meeting to watch, ask questions, and borrow ideas.
• Determine the best time for your first meeting; the evening may be better if caregivers work during the day.
• Find a convenient and safe place for a one- to two-hour meeting, such as a library, community center, faith-based group, hospital, social service agency, YMCA/YWCA, bank, or fraternal organization.
• Contact school officials and human service professionals working with older adults, families, or children and request that they refer kinship caregivers to your group.
• Publicize your meetings through posters, flyers, press releases, ads, announcements, or letters to the editor in newspapers, on local TV, and on the radio.

At Your First Meeting

• Start simple and small; even two or three people can be a good start. Plan for one to two hours for the meeting. Let the group decide the time, length, and place of future meetings.
• Introduce yourself and share your story. Invite others to share their stories, but do not require anyone to talk before they feel comfortable. All personal information discussed should remain confidential within the group.
• Collect contact information from all who attend.
• Ask for volunteers to help plan and run future meetings. Assign specific roles, such as finding a guest speaker in an area of special interest to attendees.
• Provide refreshments. 

Other Things to Consider

• Choose a name and decide the purpose of your support group. Some organizers choose to avoid the phrase "support group," opting for names like "coffee club" or "relatives as parents" to reduce stigma.
• Organize the group to offer both informal support (self-help) and access to formal community services. Resource sharing is a key benefit of these support groups.
• Decide on the activities and speakers you want. Topics could include legal, financial, health, insurance, school, childcare, emotional, substance abuse, stress, and discipline issues for both children and their adult caregivers.
• Determine who is eligible to attend and consider whether transportation assistance is needed.
• Plan a regular meeting schedule—at least monthly is recommended.
• Decide how to manage group expenses. How will refreshments be provided? Will dues be necessary?
• Create a plan for childcare or teen activities. Explore whether one of the participating agencies has the expertise and resources to organize activities—perhaps even conduct a support group for children and youth during your meetings.
• Establish a phone network. Exchanging phone numbers or setting up a phone tree for emergencies or support can be very helpful.
• Celebrate the triumphs and the rewards of raising children. People tend to return when they leave with a smile.

For more information, contact

Matthew Kaplan
Professor of Intergenerational Programs and Aging
Department of Agricultural and Extension Education
The Pennsylvania State University
7A Ferguson Building
University Park, PA 16802
Phone: 814-863-7871
Fax: 814-863-4753
Email: msk15@psu.edu
Penn State Intergenerational Program website

The Penn State Extension Relatives as Parents Program, funded in part by the Brookdale Foundation Relatives as Parents Program (2009–2011), is an initiative carried out by educators affiliated with Penn State Extension's Family Well-Being team within the Food, Families, and Health Unit. This fact sheet draws on material from Melinda Perez-Porter's 2005 paper, "Building and maintaining support groups for grandparents (and other relatives) raising grandchildren," originally presented at the Annual Family Life Electronic Seminar on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.