Heitkamp Hears Challenges of "Grandfamilies' Caring for Kids When Parents Lost to Suicide & Other Trauma

Press Release

U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today met with several grandparents who have adopted or are fostering their grandkids as a result of suicide and other circumstances that leave the children's biological parents unable to care for them, a setup known as grandfamilies.

The grandfamilies shared their stories of losing family members to suicide, and the challenges grandparents face when quickly adjusting to the role of primary caretaker of their grandkids. Many of them explained that when they took over responsibility for these children, they weren't aware of various social services or resources available to them to help they serve as caregivers. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, approximately 2.5 million children live with these caregivers without either of their parents in the home.

Heitkamp discussed with the families the impact of $20 million in federal funding she helped secure to support family caretakers of vulnerable children. She explained that she's continuing to push for more funds through a bipartisan bill she introduced earlier this year to support grandfamilies and similar systems of care for kids in need. She introduced the bill specifically help address some of the questions and challenges grandfamilies and caregivers face as they take on this new role to help them and the children adjust.

Heitkamp's Supporting Kinship Connections Act would provide funding for states to administer Kinship Navigator Programs to help family caregivers navigate the transition to taking care of a child, including learning about access to health and mental health services, financial and legal assistance, substance abuse prevention and treatment, housing, support groups, and other services. Heitkamp introduced the bill with Republican U.S. Senator Todd Young of Indiana.

Kinship Navigator Programs can make a huge difference for caregivers like grandparents, enabling them to provide the best support for the children they are caring for. North Dakota currently does not have a statewide program to support kinship caregivers, and Heitkamp's bipartisan bill would allow North Dakota to apply to use these funds to set up such a program.

"The grandfamilies I met today are heroes to all of us -- but particularly to the kids they care for," Heitkamp said. "Grandparents and other family members who step up and come to the rescue when parents are unable to do so provide safety and stability for children when they need it the most. After securing much-needed funding to support grandfamilies and other family caregivers, I'm pushing to pass bipartisan legislation I introduced to help states like North Dakota connect caregivers with the resources they need to quickly fulfill the role of primary caretaker for vulnerable kids. The families here today know all too well the toll that losing a parent has on kids and families, and we owe it to these children to prevent further trauma and make sure they're able to grow in a loving, supportive home."

"Our 18 year old grandson spent 14 months in foster care and was scheduled for adoption before we found out that was the case. My husband and I are now taking care of him and our other 12 year old grandson, who we officially adopted," said Cheryl Weinkauf from McHenry. "They face multiple neurological and physical medical issues. Over the past several years, we have been in and out of hospitals over four states, and we put 40,000 miles on our car last year as well as had to wipe out our retirement savings several times to take care of them. As a result, we have been able to get them the care they need. Because I've been taking care of them full-time, I haven't been able to work since 2006. Prior to receiving our grandsons -- because I've been a nurse, foster parent, and care coordinator -- I had been able to navigate the system, though it was still very difficult, and I don't know how families without that background can figure it out. Senator Heitkamp's bill would help families on the front end navigate these immense challenges of helping their grandkids so they can get the resources they need early and quickly to provide stability for these children."

"A year and a half ago, our son-in-law died by suicide after struggling with severe depression issues. As a result, my wife, Barb, and I are taking care of our two beautiful granddaughters who are six and 11 years old and who are dealing with a very serious trauma, and we're helping our daughter recover," said Brian Trauman from Fargo. "We had been planning to retire in the near future and move south, but now our plans have changed as we've stepped into this new and needed role for our family. For our granddaughters, every day events can be struggles, and as a result, Barb and I both decided to fully retire to dedicated ourselves to them full-time. We are fortunate because we have the resources to take care of them -- and we took care of many foster kids over the past several decades. But many grandparents serving as primary caregivers for their grandkids don't face the same circumstances. They need more support and resources to help them navigate this new role, and that's where Senator Heitkamp's bill is so needed. We greatly appreciate her work to recognize the challenges families like ours face and her action to step up to support us."

Heitkamp's meeting with grandfamilies took place at PATH ND, a private non-profit child and family services agency that provides services such as foster care, family support and family-based services, counseling, and adoption.

Last year, she introduced legislation to provide a more trauma-informed supportive law enforcement, health service, and workforce network that children and families, particularly those in tribal communities, need for healthy growth and development.

According to a 2015 U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) study, 58 percent of all American children had witnessed or been a victim of crime in the previous year. Studies have shown that when children experience multiple traumatic experiences, like violence, abuse, neglect, or trafficking, it can lead to a lifetime of negative impacts including higher risk for heart disease and lung cancer, as well as suicide.

Groups endorsing Heitkamp's Supporting Kinship Connections Act include Generations United, Futures Without Violence, Family Focused Treatment Association, National Association of Social Workers, National Alliance of Children's Trust & Prevention Funds, and the American Psychological Association.

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