SCDSS recognizes September as Kinship Care Month

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Danielle Jones
Danielle.Jones@dss.sc.gov
803-216-4858
803-898-7248

SCDSS recognizes September as Kinship Care Month

Sept. 1, 2020 – Governor Henry McMaster has proclaimed September as Kinship Care Month.  During this month SC DSS would like to take the time to recognize advocates who work tirelessly to provide assistance and services to kinship caregiving families. 

Kinship care refers to a temporary or permanent arrangement in which a relative or non-related adult, also known as fictive kin, has assumed full-time care of a child whose parents are unable to do so. According to the latest Kids Count data, about six percent of all children in the state live with a relative with no parent present.

“Relationships with family and fictive kin caregivers are crucial for children,” said DSS State Director Michael Leach. “It is our responsibility to promote and preserve kinship, sibling, and other familial connections for children helping them retain their cultural heritage, family, and community ties while preserving their safety and protecting them from abuse and neglect. As the leader of this agency, I encourage my team, not just for the month of September but year round, to seek to place children who have to enter foster care in a kinship care arrangement first whenever possible.”

 Kinship Care Month helps to increase awareness and understanding of the positive environment that kinship families offer many children in the Palmetto State.

“I have great admiration for kinship caregivers and their dedication to providing supportive, loving homes for our state’s children,” said Gov. Henry McMaster. “Their tireless work to create safe environments where children can excel produces a ripple effect that is felt statewide, ultimately creating a better, stronger South Carolina.”

 Yellow is the chosen color to represent the value of these caregivers and the fact many are often in their “golden years” when they take on these responsibilities.  SC DSS plans to highlight kinship care and the impact on our state’s families all month via our social media channels including @SC_DSS on Twitter and at Facebook.com/SouthCarolinaDSS.