III 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 736 

Designating September 2020 as ‘‘National Kinship Care Month’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 30 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 29), 2020 

Mr. WYDEN (for himself, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Ms. HASSAN, Mr. 

LANKFORD, Mr. CASEY, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina, 

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Ms. SINEMA, Mr. ROBERTS, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. VAN

HOLLEN, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. KAINE, Mr. BROWN, Mr. SCHUMER, and 

Mr. BRAUN) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and 

agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating September 2020 as ‘‘National Kinship Care 

Month’’. 

Whereas, in September 2020, ‘‘National Kinship Care 

Month’’ is observed; 

Whereas, nationally, 2,700,000 children are living in kinship 

care with grandparents, other relatives, and family 

friends (‘‘fictive kin’’); 

Whereas, nationally, nearly 1⁄3 of all foster care placements 

are in kinship foster care, with more than 133,000 children placed in kinship foster care; 

Whereas more than 2,600,000 kinship children live in informal kinship care outside of the foster care system; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2 

•SRES 736 ATS 

Whereas, while kinship care is the most common term for relative caregivers of children, they are sometimes also referred to as kincaregivers or grandfamilies; 

Whereas the number of children placed in foster care continues to increase due in part to the opioid crisis, and 

child welfare agencies are increasingly reliant on grandparents and other kinship caregivers; 

Whereas, during the COVID–19 pandemic, kinship caregivers 

who are often grandparents with health vulnerabilities 

are parenting children in their homes, often with limited 

support; 

Whereas kinship caregivers residing in urban, rural, and suburban households in every State and territory of the 

United States have stepped forward out of love and loyalty to care for children during times in which parents 

are unable to do so; 

Whereas kinship caregivers provide safety, promote wellbeing, and establish stable households for vulnerable children; 

Whereas kinship care homes offer a refuge for traumatized 

children; 

Whereas kinship care enables a child— 

(1) to maintain family relationships and cultural 

heritage; and 

(2) to remain in the community of the child; 

Whereas the wisdom and compassion of kinship caregivers is 

a source of self-reliance and strength for countless children and for the entire United States; 

Whereas children in kinship care experience improved placement stability, higher levels of permanency, and decreased behavioral problems; 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3 

•SRES 736 ATS 

Whereas kinship caregivers face daunting challenges to keep 

children from entering foster care; 

Whereas, because of parental substance use disorders and 

other adverse childhood experiences, children in kinship 

care frequently have trauma-related conditions; 

Whereas many kinship caregivers give up their retirement 

years to assume parenting duties for children; 

Whereas the Senate wishes to honor the many kinship caregivers, who throughout the history of the United States 

have provided loving homes for children; 

Whereas the first president of the United States, George 

Washington, and his wife Martha were themselves kinship caregivers, as were many other great people of the 

United States; 

Whereas the Senate is proud to recognize the many kinship 

care families in which a child is raised by grandparents, 

other relatives, and fictive kin; 

Whereas National Kinship Care Month provides an opportunity to urge people in every State to join in recognizing 

and celebrating kinship caregiving families and the tradition of families in the United States to help kin; 

Whereas, in 2018, Congress provided for kinship navigator 

programs and services in the Family First Prevention 

Services Act enacted under title VII of division E of the 

Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–123; 

132 Stat. 64) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 

2018 (Public Law 115–141; 132 Stat. 348); 

Whereas, in 2018, Congress provided for the formation of the 

Advisory Council to Support Grandparents Raising 

Grandchildren to examine supports for grandparents and 

other kinship caregivers in the Supporting Grandparents 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4 

•SRES 736 ATS 

Raising Grandchildren Act (Public Law 115–196; 132 

Stat. 1511); and 

Whereas more remains to be done to support kinship 

caregiving and to ensure that all children have a safe, 

loving, nurturing, and permanent family, regardless of 

age or special needs: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates September 2020 as ‘‘National 

3 Kinship Care Month’’; 

4 (2) encourages Congress, States, local govern5 ments, and community organizations to continue to 

6 work to improve the lives of vulnerable children and 

7 families and to support the communities working to8 gether to lift them up; and 

9 (3) honors the commitment and dedication of 

10 kinship caregivers and the advocates and allies who 

11 work tirelessly to provide assistance and services to 

12 kinship caregiving families. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS