ATLANTA – The Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) today launched a new web portal aimed at providing Georgia’s kinship caregivers with information on available resources as they seek to provide care for relative children.

Kinship care refers to a temporary or permanent arrangement in which a relative or non-relative adult who has a long-standing relationship or bond with the child and/or family, has taken over the full-time, substitute care of a child whose parents are unable or unwilling to do so.

“When a child experiences trauma and is not able to be in the care of their biological parents, relatives can provide the stability a child needs during a very difficult time,” said Bobby Cagle, the director of the Division of Family and Children Services. “Kinship caregivers are our partners in child welfare, and it is important to us that they have the knowledge and access to resources needed to help children thrive.”

The Division’s Kinship Navigator Program is one resource available to kinship caregivers highlighted on the portal. Kinship navigators across the state assist kinship families in identifying and accessing financial and other supports available to them.

The portal also gives kinship caregivers information on organizations across the state that provide nonfinancial support, including legal help and emotional support.

“Grandparents and other relatives are an asset to the community and are vital in the effort to safeguard Georgia’s children,” said DHS Commissioner Robyn A. Crittenden. “It is our goal to support those kinship caregivers with the resources they need to best care for their families.”

The development of the Kinship Care Portal is a result of the passage of House Bill 962 during the 2016 Legislative Session. The bill was a result of the recommendations of the Kinship Care Study Committee, chaired by House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams (D – Atlanta).

For more information on resources available to kinship caregivers in Georgia, visit https://dhs.georgia.gov/kinship-care-portal.