GRG of Brevard Winter 2018 Newsletter

Supporting Relative Caregiver Families of Brevard County, FL Winter 2018

Support Group Meetings Sometimes our children provide us with challenges that we're just not quite ready to handle. And sometimes support groups can help us find the answers we need, or at least make us feel okay about the unique challenges we're facing.

2018 A Fresh Start!

As we say goodbye to 2017, we can look forward to 2018 with our hearts full of hope and minds full of possibilities. May each of you have a healthy, happy, and spectacular new year. Thank you for your continued dedication to GRG of Brevard.

Our world is one that is forever going back and forth—up and down. About the time you think things are going smoothly something else happens—the car breaks down or one of the children come down with the flu. To expect life to flow smoothly with few bumps is abnormal. So how do you make things right in this mixed-up world. Things don’t come to you straight—it comes mixed up and you have to straighten it out yourself. Where do you start???

If you want to get it together, you have to get your attitude right. Everything you are or do are products of your attitude about life. Take a skunk for example—it is in full charge of the air—both its and yours. It has no choice.

But if your attitude stinks and is fouling up the air for those around you—it’s because you choose. When your attitude goes wrong, you can choose to make it right.

Your attitude affects your grandchildren in a positive way or negative way.

Right attitudes are the foundation stones of successful living. You can be a skunk or a bright star. What you are today is the sum total of your thoughts and attitudes of yesterday. And you will travel the path tomorrow that your heart and mind will blaze today. These thoughts, attitudes and perceptions will be used to build the future for yourself and your family. Being an example and having the right attitude for your grandchildren is the best way to start fresh.

Schedule “FAMILY NIGHTS!” Whether it is once a week or once a month, put “family night” on the calendar and stick to it. Being together, often, creates the ultimate sense of well-being for each family member.

When this is done consistently and children know to expect it, they will look forward to it. Let each person in the family have a turn at picking what the next family night will consist of (such as watching a movie, playing a game, etc.). Get creative!

Friday Jan 5, Feb 2, & Mar 2 – North Brevard Indian River City United Methodist Church, 1355 Cheney Hwy. Titusville 9:30–11:00 am (This meeting is always the first Friday of each month) Tuesday Jan 9, Feb 13 & Mar 13 –Cocoa Beach Riverside Presbyterian Church 3400 N. Atlantic Ave. Cocoa Beach 9:30–11:00 am (This meeting is always the second Tuesday of each month) Thursday Jan 11, Feb 8 & Mar 8 – Club Esteem Club Esteem 3316 Monroe Street, Melbourne 10:00 – 11:30 am (This meeting is always the second Thursday of each month) Tuesday Jan 16, Feb20 & Mar 20 –Central Brevard GRG of Brevard Office, 123 Barton Blvd, Rockledge 9:30 -11 am (This meeting is always the third Tuesday of each month) Wednesday, Jan 17, Feb 21 & Mar 21 -- South Brevard Memaw’s Restaurant, 4916 Babcock Blvd, Palm Bay 6:00–7:30pm (Dinner is available at member's expense) (This meeting is always the third Wednesday of each month) Thursday, Jan 25, Feb 22 & Mar 29 – Melbourne Beach Memaw’s Restaurant, Indian Harbour Beach, 9:30–11:30 am (Breakfast is available at member's expense) (This meeting is always the last Thursday of each month)

Stay Connected

Kinship Journal

GRG of Brevard is dedicated to providing quality education and support opportunities to relative caregivers of Brevard County, so that they may meet the emotional, behavioral, and developmental needs of children and youth in their care.

Support Groups and training workshops for relative care providers are offered FREE of charge.

It is our priority to keep everyone connected with community resources, and with each other. We are working hard to maintain communication on a regular basis to ensure that any opportunity to improve the lives of children is taken full advantage of, please make it your priority in the coming year to attend these events.

Listed below is information that you may want to add as it applies to your own situation, have a notebook or system that helps you to keep everything together and available for when you really need it.

• RECENT PICTURE OF THE CHILD • LEGAL CUSTODY PAPERS/GUARDIANSHIP PAPERS/ADOTPION PAPERS/ OR OTHER LEGAL DOCUMENTS • COPY OF MEDICAID / INSURANCE CARD • CERTIFIED COPY OF THE CHILD’S BIRTH CERTIFICATE • COPY OF THE SOCIAL SECURITY CARD • IMMUNIZATION RECORDS • COPY OF THE MOST RECENT PHYSICAL EXAM • A LIST OF ALLERGIES • LIST OF THE CHILD MEDICATION • THE CHILD’S PHARMACY • PEDIATRICIAN OR SPECIALIST • FINGER PRINT ID • LIST OF EMERGENCY CONTACT PERSONS AND TELEPHONE NUMBERS • DCF INVOLVED/CASEMANAGER CONTACT INFO • COPY OF THE AWARD LETTER FOR SOCIAL SECURITY SUPPLEMENTAL INCOME • COPY OF THE IEP (INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PLAN) if there is one • THE CHILD’S SCHOOL, ADDRESS AND TELEPHONE NUMBER • DATA ON BIOLOGICAL PARENTS/This is to be prepared for questions the child may ask someday about their biological parent.

Note from Mary Ann During the 2017 holiday season when Thanksgiving Dinners and Children’s Christmas presents were available to our members some members expressed concerned that they were not called about these services.

We extend our apologies if this inconvenienced you. To prevent this from happening in the future.

• Flyers are handed out at the monthly support group meetings.

• A newsletter comes out every quarter to members with reminders of upcoming events and sign up dates. Please read your newsletter, many of our members stated they do not read the newsletter.

Please remember that it is impossible for us to call all 1500 members and unfortunately a large number of our members cannot attend support group meetings.

Please call 321-631-7776 or email grg.brevard@gmail.com when holiday season comes up to find out what is available.

I am sorry that so few people attended the Christmas Party; however, all who attended enjoyed themselves and GRG and Santa send you Holiday Greetings.

The Importance of Respite The definition of respite is a brief interval of rest, and every caregiver needs respite time if he or she is to last! It may be hard to think of yourself and your needs at this time, but if you don’t, your life will be consumed by your duties and you will face burn out. Respite is not a luxury, it is a necessity.

However you are able to arrange for some help - and it will take effort on your part, it won’t happen by itself - commit to taking some time at least once a week to do something for yourself.

Remember, when you are care giving 24/7 it can be hard mentally and physically - it’s a labor of love! To be the best possible kinship caregiver, you need to take care of yourself and be in a good frame of mind.

T.A.R.G.E.T. Training For those new to GRG of Brevard TARGET is a six-week training course that covers the latest information from community and state experts on topics ranging from financial stability and legal assistance to parenting autistic children.

Currently scheduled for early spring 2018. More information in the upcoming support group meetings, website and newsletters.

Tax Time is Coming!

Claiming Your Grandchildren on Your Taxes…

The Internal Revenue Service says that families are eligible to claim the tax credit of any child living in their home for more than six months in the year. As caregivers, then, you have the legal right to claim the children living in your household.

If the biological parent claims a child who HAS NOT lived in their home for at least six months, they are engaged in unlawful activities and could be punished with a fine or jail time.

Even if a biological parent files taxes before you, and wrongfully claims a child/ren, you can still claim the children.

The IRS will then confirm which household rightfully claimed the children. Relative caregivers can prove that the child lived with them because of services, like Medicaid, Food Nutrition (formerly food stamps), or Social Security, for which you have records or documentation.

“Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children.” Charles Swindoll

2017 Grandfamilies Report

New Florida Senate Bill

The 2017 State of Grandfamilies report, “In Loving Arms: the Protective Role of Grandparents and Other Relatives in Raising Children Exposed to Trauma,” published by Generations United, points to the enormous benefits of having a kinship caregiver.

Thirty percent of kids in foster care, or 127,819, are being raised by relatives. For every child in the welfare system living with relatives, there are 20 kids in grandfamilies who are not in foster care.

The challenges for relative caregivers start with finances. less money to go around. Twenty percent of grandparents live in poverty; half of all single grandmothers raising grandchildren are also at the poverty level.

The report offered several recommendations to improve the lives of grandfamilies.

1. Keep kids out of foster care - grandparents save taxpayers $4 billion a year by keeping children out of foster care.

2. Educate legislators and communities about the value of providing services and programs for relative care families — and get leaders to act. Make sure they allocate money for these purposes. That could include: having states receive federal reimbursement for kinship navigator services; protecting federal money for Medicaid and the Children’s Insurance Program (CHIP) and adding kinshipfamily kids to grandparents’ health plans.

Families as a whole — not just the children — need community-based help for such issues as mental health (individual and family therapy), child and respite care, and employment counseling, as well as financial and legal fees.

3. Do a better job of outreach. Offer mental health help, including specific trauma training, in a variety of venues and make it easy to access, whether this is at a medical center, school or through a faith-based group, private foundation or service provider.

Let grandfamilies know what type of federal aid is available.

It turns out that less than half of eligible children in these situations receive Medicaid.

4. Eliminate hurdles to licensing relatives. That would give grandparents more money and services. If relatives are licensed as foster parents, states must pay them on equal footing with non-relative homes

Senate Bill 590 makes a number of changes to the laws relating to relative and nonrelative caregivers for children in out-of-home care.

The bill requires the Department of Children and Families (DCF), the sheriff’s offices that conduct child protective investigations and each community-based care lead agency to establish family finding programs in order to identify relatives that may become caregivers for children of family members who are placed in out-of-home care.

The bill also requires payments at the current relative caregiver rate for both relatives and nonrelatives, to begin when the child comes into their care. It also requires each community-based care lead agency to establish a kinship navigator program to provide support and assistance to relative and nonrelative caregivers Financial Assistance

Never Give Up Hope!

After eight long years, Michelle Campbell completed her adoption of her grandson, Tyshawn, on 11/28/17. What an awesome Christmas gift!

Current financial assistance for types of out-of-home placements are shown in the chart below: Age of Child 0-5 years 6-12 years 13-18 years

Relative Caregivers $242 $249 $298

Foster Parents $429 $440 $515

The monthly benefit payment for relative and nonrelative caregivers does not begin until the child in their care has been adjudicated dependent. Adjudication typically takes 2 months to a year. During this time a nonrelative caregiver receives no benefit and a relative caregiver is eligible for a temporary cash assistance payment only.

Committee staff conducted telephone/video conferences with relative caregivers from across the state including GRG of Brevard and the bill is now in Judiciary Review if passed this would mean some real changes for relative caregiver services and benefits.

Flu Season Influenza (also known as the flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and can cause death. Influenza is not a cold.

Influenza usually comes on suddenly. People who have Influenza often feel some or all of these symptoms: Fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headaches, and fatigue. Most people who get influenza will recover in a few days to less than two weeks, but some people will develop complications (such as pneumonia) because of influenza.

Infants and small children are more vulnerable to serious influenza. They can get pneumonia, bronchiolitis and they are more likely to die from the disease.

Anyone can get influenza (even healthy people), and serious problems related to influenza can happen at any age, but some people are at high risk of developing serious complications. This includes people 65 years and older, people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, diabetes, or heart disease), and young children. Find additional information: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/faq/flu-season.htm

All Smiles Here!

Did you know supporting GRG of Brevard is as easy as shopping on Amazon?

Sign up for Amazon Smile and a portion of your purchase benefits GRG of Brevard!

First, visit AmazonSmile and select the option “Grandparents Raising Grandchildren of Brevard County, FL, Inc. from the list of charitable organizations Second, sign in to AmazonSmile from your desktop, tablet, laptop or mobile phone browser.

Third, shop as you normally would and support Grandparents Raising Grandchildren of Brevard County, FL Inc. in the process! Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase directly to GRG of Brevard!

HELP THE GRANDPARENTS AND CHILDREN OF GRG OF BREVARD BECOME A MEMBER AND/OR FRIEND Grandparents Raising Grandchildren of Brevard County FL, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation.

All gifts are deductible on corporate, foundation and individual tax returns to the extent provided by state and federal laws.

Members of Grandparents Raising Grandchildren of Brevard County, FL, Inc. receive our newsletter and invitations to events where they can meet others in similar situations Name Date:

I am raising children who are not my own I am their: [ ] Grandparent [ ] Aunt / Uncle

Address:

[ ] Sister / Brother

City/State: Zip: Phone: Email:

[ ] Other (please specify) [ ] I am not in this situation but I want to join GRG of Brevard because I am interested in what you do.

[ ] Annual Membership $20 per family or $10 per caregiver [ ] Annual Corporate Membership $500 I want to be a friend of the GRG of Brevard and enclose an additional donation of: [ ] $25

[ ] $50 [ ] $75 [ ] $100 Other: $

Please make your check payable to: Grandparents Raising Grandchildren of Brevard