Child caregivers event is Jan. 30

In 2018, Dickenson County Department of Social Services received a grant to develop a kinship navigator program in planning districts 1 and 2. This covers the counties of Dickenson, Wise, Russell, Lee, Tazewell, Buchanan, Scott and the city of Norton.
This program provides information and referral to resources for kinship families who have stepped up to care for minor children, who for many reasons cannot be raised by their biological parents.
These caregivers are often grandparents or great grandparents who are faced with a quick decision of taking these children into their homes. They often find themselves parenting this second time around with no recent experience in the school system, with doctors’ appointments, homework or parenting small children or teens. They also have less energy to cope with the stress of parenting at this time in their lives. Many are on a fixed income, and taking a child or children into their home often entails adjustment to how that income is spent.

The Kinship Navigator program is designed to provide assistance to these new Kincare families that allows them to locate resources that strengthen their ability to be successful. This may include financial or educational resources as well as legal and medical resources. Referrals to the Navigator program come from many places within the community including the families themselves.
To that end, the Kinship Navigator program is launching a series of topic sessions in the schools for grandparents and other kinship caregivers to provide some information and networking with other families that are caring for children a second time around. We will be planning events on a monthly basis that includes a monthly support group meeting for interested families.

Last year in the state of Virginia, 180,000 children were being raised by grandparents and other relatives. Dickenson County would like to recognize those families in a month-long celebration to say thank you to those who stepped up to take care of a child. Refreshments will be served and guest speakers will provide interesting topics and information about available resources.

The topics will include: What can I do when my child acts out; importance of taking care of yourself; ages and stages of child development.

The last meeting will be at Ridgeview Middle School from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 30.

For further information, contact Nancy Boyd or Nathan Childress at 276/926-1661.