Summers’ bill that would assist kinship caregivers heads to Governor

Legislation authored by Representative Vanessa Summers (D-Indianapolis) that would help kinship caregivers meet the needs of their children is on its way to Governor Eric Holcomb’s desk to be signed into law.

House Bill 1500 would require the Department of Child Services (DCS) to submit an annual report to the Indiana General Assembly detailing the practices and partnerships developed by the Indiana Kinship Care Navigator Program to assist Indiana caregivers.

A kinship caregiver is a person who suddenly takes the responsibility of providing full-time care to a child. Oftentimes these individuals do not have parenting experience and turn to the Kinship Care Navigator Program to learn what they need to know to successfully raise a child. It would include grandparents and other relatives, stepparents, godparents or family friends.

“When someone becomes a kinship caregiver, it is usually because there was a tragedy that left the child without parents,” Summers said. “In these cases, the caretaker could be an adult who has not cared for a child before or for a long time, so they do not know what to do. That is where the Kinship Care Program comes in.”

The program was established by the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) to provide kinship caregivers with information and resources they need to properly care for their children, spanning from financial assistance options to shaken baby syndrome. 

“The annual report from DCS will keep the General Assembly informed on the efforts made by the program to provide services and resources to kinship caregivers,” Summers said. “It is vital that we continue to ensure that the needs of young Hoosiers are being met and this bill will allow us to monitor what resources are provided to them.”

The bill was passed through the Indiana House with a vote of 97-0 and the Indiana Senate with a vote of 45-1.