Our Relative Caregiver Community Board consists of grandparents, aunts, cousins, siblings, and godparents raising at-risk D.C. children when their parents are unable to care for them. The purpose of the Community Board is to hear from these amazing relative caregivers who step up to protect and care for children in times of crisis. These relative caregivers may not have expected to take on this role, but they have risen to the challenge and we are in awe of their dedication!

The Community Board gives relative caregivers a voice to help make more services, supports, and financial assistance available to kinship families, as well as make the system more user-friendly and responsive to kinship family needs.

Community Board members meet regularly to identify issues they seek to raise with government decision-makers and to discuss how they want to go about doing so. They work together to empower themselves and others in their community to take action to help all D.C. kinship families.

Community Board members have participated in community events, testified before the DC Council, drafted position papers, and met with D.C. Councilmembers and U.S. Senate staffers to raise awareness about kinship family issues.

The Community Board has a Leadership Group that spearheads the Board’s activities.