Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown has introduced a bill that would expand support for grandparents raising their grandchildren due to the opioid crisis.
The Family First Transition and Support Act calls for additional funds for kinship support services, which helps with things like transportation and childcare.
“These relatives face unique challenges don’t often qualify for the same support as a foster parent. Means going back to work for people that might have been retired or it means both taking money out of retirement savings. This bill would give these other families more support.”
Brown points out that a third of all current foster care cases in Ohio are due to parents’ substance abuse.
His bill also aims to recruit and retain foster parents and invest in training and development for child welfare caseworkers.