The purpose of the Grand Voices Racial Equity Initiative project is to improve culturally-appropriate supports and services to grandfamilies by elevating their diverse voices, perspectives, and expertise to inform and influence policy, practice, and research.
From 2018-2021, Generations United partnered with the National Indian Child Welfare Association and A Second Chance Inc, to recruit and prepare a cohort of Black and Native grandfamily caregivers to join the GRAND Voices Network, a proven group of caregiver advocates who educate, represent, and testify about their grandfamily situation. The project equipped caregivers with actionable knowledge to help them work with other advocates to improve services to their families and address racial inequities.
Specifically, Generations United engaged this cohort in:
- Raising awareness with federal and state policy makers and tribal leaders
- Elevating visibility in the press of the valuable role and need for supportive services for the families
- Community-based projects to improve local supports and services for grandfamilies
- Creation of toolkits and other resources for organizations serving African American and Native American grandfamilies
- Development of an action agenda to promote evidence-based practices for serving the families.
Since 2020, Generations United has been working to expand this work to include elevating Latino grandfamilies’ voices. Later in 2021, we will be releasing a third toolkit focused on providing culturally appropriate services to Latino grandfamilies
Resources:
View our GRAND Network here
Fact sheet for African American Grandfamilies
Fact sheet for American Indian and Alaskan Native Grandfamilies
Racial Equity Toolkits Featuring Grandfamilies
African American Grandfamilies: Helping Children Thrive Through Connection to Family and Culture
Partners:
National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) is a private, nonprofit membership organization that works to support the safety, health and spiritual strength of American Indian and Alaska Native children along the broad continuum of their lives. NICWA supports tribes in building the capacity to prevent child abuse and neglect through positive systems change at the state, federal and tribal levels,
A Second Chance Inc. (ASCI) founded by Dr. Sharon McDaniel in 1994, serves as a community-based organization whereby child welfare agencies can refer families, children, and youth for holistic professional services. ASCI’s mission is to provide a safe, secure, and nurturing environment to children who are being cared for by their relatives or a close family friend – formally called “kinship care.”