Grandparents, relatives and others in Chattooga County who have stepped in to raise children whose parents are unable to care for them may qualify for a variety of financial, legal and support services available through the Georgia Department of Human Services.

September is National Kinship Care Month, and the Georgia Division of Family & Children Services is highlighting resources available to what are known as kinship caregivers.

DFCS defines kinship care as a temporary or permanent arrangement in which a relative—or another adult with a longstanding relationship with the child or family—takes over full-time care when the child’s parents are unable or unwilling to do so.

Kinship care can include informal family arrangements as well as legal custody, guardianship, relative foster-care placements and kinship adoption.

For Chattooga County grandparents and relatives suddenly faced with raising a child, assistance may be available even if they don’t consider themselves traditional foster parents.

Georgia’s Kinship Care Portal provides information about programs including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, child support, relative-care subsidies and Medicaid. The state also offers a Kinship Navigator Program designed to help caregivers locate programs and services for which their families may qualify.

Child-care assistance may also be available. Georgia’s CAPS program helps eligible low-income families pay for child care for children from birth through age 13, or through age 18 for children with special needs.

Legal help is another available resource. The Relative Caregiver Hotline and Georgia Senior Legal Hotline can provide advice, brief legal services and referrals concerning issues including custody, adoption, public benefits and housing. The Georgia Legal Services Program can be reached at 800-745-5717.

There is also a free opportunity for caregivers this week.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta has been hosting weekly online programs throughout September for Kinship Care Month. The final webinar will be held Thursday, September 24, from 6 until 7 PM. The program, “Advocacy 101,” will be presented by Generations United. No registration is required.

Georgia DHS says supportive services are also available to grandparents and relative caregivers through the state’s regional Area Agencies on Aging.

Those needing help finding kinship-care resources can use the Georgia DHS Kinship Care Portal or contact the Georgia Department of Human Services at 877-423-4746.