Implementing the Supporting 

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act 

The Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren 

Act (the SGRG Act) was signed into law on July 7, 

2018. One of the primary aims of the SGRG Act is 

to heighten visibility and address the need for better 

support, information, and services to assist kinship 

families and grandfamilies. 

The Advisory Council to Support 

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

Key among the SGRG Act’s provisions was the 

establishment of the Advisory Council to Support 

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (the Advisory 

Council). The Advisory Council’s primary charge is 

to identify, promote, coordinate, and disseminate 

information, resources, and the best practices available 

to help grandparents and other older relatives meet 

the needs of the children in their care while maintaining 

their own physical and mental health and emotional 

well-being. 

Composed of both kin and grandparent caregivers and 

professionals in the field, the Advisory Council adopted 

the following vision to shape and guide its work:

“The Advisory Council to Support Grandparents 

Raising Grandchildren will be a leader for identifying 

and sharing resources to support, educate, empower, 

and advocate for kinship families and grandfamilies. 

The Advisory Council will increase awareness and 

understanding of the needs of these families to ensure 

they are treated with respect and dignity. By honoring 

cultures, values, and diversities, we will create a better 

future so that families can flourish.” 

Following its first meeting in August 2019, the Advisory 

Council started gathering information to draft the report 

required by the SGRG Act. Then, responding to the 

impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic became a priority. 

In addition to gathering information for the report, the 

Advisory Council began developing its first resource—

tackling the unique challenges kinship families and 

grandfamilies may experience during emergencies.

Emergency Preparedness for 

Kinship Families and Grandfamilies

Any emergency has the potential to disrupt the balance 

within a family. Whether it is a public health emergency, 

a weather event, a flooded basement, or parental death 

or incarceration, becoming the primary caregiver of 

a child is an unexpected situation for which there is 

little time to prepare. During emergencies, challenges 

are amplified for kinship families and grandfamilies. 

Recognizing this, the Advisory Council developed 

its COVID-19/Emergency Preparedness Resource 

Guide for Kinship Families and Grandfamilies to assist 

kinship families and grandfamilies during the COVID-19 

pandemic.

This critical resource was the first product developed 

by the Advisory Council as part of its commitment to 

identifying and disseminating information and best 

practices to support kinship families and grandfamilies. 

It features a collection of three dozen vetted sources 

of information and assistance from federal, state, 

and local entities that could be of value to any kin or 

grandparent caregiver during a crisis. 

Last Updated: 11/2021

The Administration for Community Living is an operating division of the 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Visit ACL.gov.
The Initial Report to Congress

The Advisory Council’s initial report to Congress 

addresses a broad range of subjects as identified 

in the SGRG Act. Its development took place 

during 2020 and 2021, resulting in a document that 

provides:

» An examination of the challenges and unmet 

needs of kinship families and grandfamilies.

» An identification of the systemic gaps that exist in 

supporting these families.

» A compendium of resources and best practices 

currently used in the field.

» A slate of 22 recommendations for improving 

the recognition and support of kinship families 

and grandfamilies, which will become part of the 

forthcoming National Family Caregiving Strategy. 

Throughout the report, the needs of members of tribal 

communities and those impacted by the opioid crisis 

are considered, and descriptions of a range of federal 

programs and initiatives currently in place to support 

kinship families and grandfamilies are provided.

Looking Ahead to a National 

Family Caregiving Strategy

The Advisory Council came together in late 2019 to 

address the multiple and often overlooked challenges 

faced by kinship families and grandfamilies. Their 

initial goal was to develop a set of recommendations 

to improve awareness of and services and supports 

for this vulnerable population. The recommendations 

they developed after an extended investigative 

process cover five priority areas that allow for 

maximum integration of federal, state, local, and 

tribal initiatives to support kinship families and 

grandfamilies. 

Taken together, these priorities are a critical first step 

in better supporting the people who selflessly step in 

to raise a child.

The report’s 22 recommendations will inform the 

development of the National Family Caregiving 

Strategy, which is being developed by the Advisory 

Council in collaboration with the RAISE Family 

Caregiving Advisory Council. When fully developed, 

the strategy will identify actions that communities, 

providers, government, and others are taking and may 

take to recognize and support family caregivers. It 

will promote greater adoption of person- and familycentered care in all health care and long-term service 

and support settings, increase use of evidenceinformed tools, information, education, training 

supports, referral, and care coordination to increase 

support for caregivers and expand access to respite 

options. Finally, it will increase financial security and 

reduce workplace discrimination faced by caregivers, 

including kin and grandparent caregivers.

Learn more about the Supporting Grandparents 

Raising Grandchildren Act at ACL.gov/SGRG. 

Priority Recommendations

Awareness and 

outreach

Caregiver 

engagement 

Services and 

supports

Financial and 

workplace security

Research, data, and 

evidence-based 

practices

Implementing the Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Act ACL.gov

Awareness and outreach Financial and workplace security Caregiver engagement Services and sup

Awareness and outreach Financial and workplace security Caregiver engagement Services and supports 

Awareness and outreach Financial and workplace security Caregiver engagement Services 

Awareness and outreach Financial and workplace security Caregiver engagement Services and supports Research, data, and evid

Awareness and outreach Financial and workplace security Caregiver engagement Services and supports Research, data, and ev