THE BOOK IS DONE!! SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE ONLINE

At last, A Kinship Guide to Rescuing Children for Grandparents and Other Relatives As Parents is out and on the bookshelves, well some bookshelves. In 216 pages, four sections, the book shares in a loving informational manner the paths to working through the complex issues of securing a kinship family. And I, Helene (Tita), the author, am thrilled at the response so far. The book is listed on Amazon.com and in some local bookstores, and on the publishers website: www.chicagoroadpublishing.com Take a look at the cover on that site and check some interior pages. You can order single copies there, or for agencies and groups who want discounted multiple orders at a single address, contact by e-mail info@chicagoroadpublishing.com . Thanks to those of you who offered so much guidance through this (looong) process. Now we have to get the book in the hands of families who are looking for help.
Affectionately,
Tita

GRANDFAMILIES TO GATHER MAY 7, 2008

On May 7, 2008 hundreds of grandparents and other relatives raising children will gather at the U.S. Capitol to highlight their important role in raising children and the help they need from family, friends, their communities, states, national organizations and agencies and elected officials. This is the third annual such gathering sponsored by AARP, Child Welfare League of America, Generations United, Grandfamilies of America, National Committe of Grandparent's for Children's Rights, and Children's Defense Fund (CDF). Many activities planned. Check the CDF website news items and click on Grandrally information (grandrally@childrensdefense.org ). Plan for this unifying event - get a room soon before they all fill up. Just think, Spring in Washington DC, a great time to contact legislators and join fellow travellers down the same kinship role.
Maybe we will see you there.
Tita

Kinship Caregivers take Note of Correction

Tita gave the wrong blog address for Child Welfare League of American excellent talk radio blog:
www.blogtalkradio.com/CWLA-Radio is the correct address. Usually on Wednesday, this week the show will broadcast on Tuesday to encourage Congress to endorse a National Conference on Children and Youth. It is time for such a conference. Research is flowing in on the state of our nation's vulnerable children. This is a great new technology way to express our concerns. Remember:

Tuesday February 26, 2:00-2:30 PM ET Heading for the Hill: Calling on Congress to Endorse a National Conference on Children and Youth Visit www.blogtalkradio.com/CWLA-Radio.Call-in Number: (347) 326-9411

Child Welfare League Notes

One of the valuable resources to anyone working on behalf of vulnerable children is the Child Welfare League of America www.cwla.org Two items kinship folks may want to check on:

• the miracle of blogging has gone to new heights -blogradio - CWLA has a blog "talk" radio on Wednesday's (you can check it anytime) on issues of the day related to children. The show is new in technology, some small glitches have to be worked out. And there is advertising, our free enterprise way of supporting some amazing experiences. To hear and be a part of the CWLA blogradio go to: www.cwla.org/radio
• the second piece of news from CWLA is an announcement from the U.S. Children's Bureau for grants to be awarded to tribes, tribal organizations, and migrant programs for child abuse prevention in fiscal year 2008. Applicants are encouraged to implement evidence-based and -informed programs and practices. The funds must also be used to support an evaluation of the programs and services funded by the grant. Three grants are expected to be funded for $138,963 per grantee for FY 2008.

Our book, A Kinship Guide to Rescuing Children, addresses tribal issues and kinship care in several places throughout the book. For more information on children and tribal issues go to: the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) www.nicwa.org .

And finally a brief update about the book: IT'S DONE!! copies will be available by March 1. For more information you can contact me here with a comment or e-mail at info@chicagoroadpublishing.com

Best to you all,
Tita

A Kinship Guide to Rescuing Children

Thanks to all of you for patience as Tita learns the publishing game. It looks like the book, A Kinship Guide to Rescuing Children - for Grandparents and Other Relatives as Parents, will be ready for distribution in February! Published by Chicago Road Publishing LLC, the book covers those topics rarely available to the millions of families who have taken on the care of related children. In four sections the guidebook covers issues like:

• legal decisions
• social services
• school issues
• medical care
• counseling
• how to start a kincare group
• children in the electronic world
• financial planning

Written in an informal conversational style, we hope the book will be valuable to all of you who have faced or will face the difficulties of navigating helping systems on behalf of your new family. More information and updates should be on this little blog site in a few days. Keep checking back.
affectionately,
Tita

COMING SOON - KINSHIP GUIDE

So much to learn, so little time. This book production has been a very interesting project. For those of you who have followed the blog - the writing of the book is done! Now we are working with the "typesetter" who will layout the pages and other parts to fit the printed page. Inch by inch, it's a cinch, said my good friend, yard by yard it's hard. Well I'm not sure whether we are taking this by inches now or by yards, but it certainly has been a long haul. The newest time frame is to get the book into bookstores and into your hands by mid-January or sooner. The official title is - A Kinship Guide to Rescuing Children, for Grandparents and Other Relatives As Parents. It will be about 180 pages, softcover, with a fantastic cover photo. The retail price is $16.95. ISBN: (The new 13-digit) 978-0-9801352-0-6 by Chicago Road Publishing.
As we mentioned in an earlier blog, this is not a book on how to parent, but rather a guide to getting through all those public systems that kinship caregivers face - legal, social services, schools, therapy, community services. In other words, how to advocate for your new family in the sometimes intimidating and usually exhausting world out there. We also have chapters on the importance of making a will, being aware for children in this new electronic world, finding resources, getting money for the future, and having fun.
The third section is a book within the book on how to get together with other kinship care providers in your community and how to actually start a full-service kinship resource center.
The final section is a full list of resources including lead organizations in each state that help to establish services for kinship care families.
The approach of the book speaks directly to kinship families in a casual yet, hopefully, informative manner. The academics are kept to a minimum. There are stories from case situations to enhance each chapter. Several professionals that work in the field of social services or law have also expressed an interest in the book.
Anyone with comments about the kinship care book or this blog can comment here or drop a note to CRP, P.O. Box 1073, Okemos, MI 48805.

Edward James Olmos, Jamie Foxx, and others

As I was searching for celebrity relatives who were raised by grandparents or other non-parent relatives, I found very little. Generations United, www.gu.org had a very nice listing of a few folks. One with a comment by Edward James Olmos, who was raised by greatgrandparents, struck me as true appreciation for the unheralded kinship care families:

Edward James Olmos- Actor "I was very fortunate. I was raised by my great-grandfather and my great-grandmother. And great-grandparents are exactly that: great, grand parents. And I must tell you, that was probably the single most important aspect of my life."

Thank you, sir, for that honor to your folks. I am looking for more examples. If you know of celebrity or well known sports or business people who were raised by non-parent relatives please contact me, Helene (Tita) kincare@comcast.net . There is more to share with you, so check back here in a day or so.

In peace,
Tita