The Hancock County Children’s Council, a program of Downeast Health Services Inc., is developing a new partnership with Maine Kids-Kin to support families who are raising their relatives’ children in Hancock County. Many families have recently undertaken the unexpected responsibility of caring for a relative’s child or children.

We propose to establish a new “Relatives as Parents” facilitated support group conveniently located in Hancock County. Participants will learn how to work towards creating environments that help increase protective factors, such as developing community connections, improving access to resources, and reducing the social isolation by sharing common problems. If you might be interested in participating in this new group, please contact Candy Eaton at 667-5304 ext. 261. Locations, dates and times will be determined by the participants.

Raising children can be a wonderful, satisfying and enjoyable experience. However, raising children is not an easy experience under any circumstance. Usually when a child comes to live with a relative, it is because there has been some hardship within the family. What begins as a temporary stay often turns into a permanent arrangement.

Nationally, more than 3,000,000 children live in the homes of relatives. In Maine, over 11,000 children with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, or with another relative who are not their parents. Even so, many relatives feel they are in this alone. These relatives’ lives are complicated, yet they are experienced parents and bring history and past lessons to a new relationship with their relatives’ children. Throughout Hancock County, there are others who share many similar experiences and feelings.

Maine Kids-Kin assists extended family members who are stepping in to care for a relatives child(ren). The family member may be a grandparent, aunt, uncle, sibling, cousin or good friend of the family. The children may be in the relative’s care, or the relatives may be working towards that goal. Grandfamilies is a term for families headed by an extended family member: grandparent, aunt, uncle or other relative. Maine Kids-Kin is formerly known as Family Connections and is a program of Families And Children Together for Maine's Grandfamilies. FMI, see their website at www.kinshipconnections.org. 

Save the Date: Maine Summit for Grandfamilies: The Law, Kinship and Children will be held on Friday, September 26, 2008, 8:30am-3:30pm at the University of Maine in Augusta. This 3rd Maine Summit for Grandfamilies focuses on relatives stepping into raise the children. Participants will learn about current legal options for grandfamilies, their experiences in Maine Courtss, and ways to improve the process for Maine’s children. The summit will also feature a keynote address by Gerard Wallace, Esq., director of the Grandparent Support Project of the Government Law Center at Albany Law School. Mr. Wallace has been speaking nationwide and educating grandfamilies, lawyers and others professionals about the lack of legal foundation for a family’s right to care for their children and how this impacts changes in state policies and laws. Contact Noreen at 1-866-298-0896 (toll-free) for more information on this conference.

The Hancock County Children’s Council collaborates with many local partners to strengthen Maine’s families. We will be offering parent education classes this fall in collaboration with area Adult and Community Education programs. The Council has an extensive collection of books and videotapes on subjects designed to help children and families live healthier lives. The Family Resource Center Library is available to all residents in Hancock County and is located at Downeast Health Services, 52 Christian Ridge Road, Ellsworth, ME. Please call 667-5304 ext. 261, email children@downeasthealth.org or visit our website at www.downeasthealth.org for additional information on parenting classes, child development and family resources available in Hancock County.