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July 13, 2010 Jay Finegan, 287-1445
Rep. Joan Nass Named to Task Force on Kinship Families

AUGUSTA – State Rep. Joan Nass has been appointed to Maine’s new Task Force on Kinship Families, which will help identify existing state resources to assist family members caring for a relative’s child. This is most commonly grandparents raising their grandchildren but also includes aunts, uncles, siblings, other relatives and close family friends who step in to care for someone else’s child.

The task force, established by the Legislature in the recently completed session, will report its findings to the Health and Human Services Committee, which is authorized to report out a bill based on the group’s suggestions. That report is due by November 3, 2010.

“I am very pleased to be named to this task force,” said Rep. Nass (R-Acton), a third-term legislator. “People raising a relative’s child face special challenges, and there are some programs that could make their lives a little easier. Our job is to examine such things as legal and custody issues and gaps in services and then create some strategies to deal with any problems we find.”

According to a study by the University of Maine’s Center on Aging, approximately 11,000 Maine children lived with relatives in 2000, or about one out of 27 children under age 18. More than 5,000 grandparents in Maine had primary responsibility for meeting the basic needs of their grandchildren.

The study said the reasons parents cannot take care of their own children include drug and alcohol abuse, child abuse and neglect, incarceration, family violence and mental illness. “Under the vast majority of circumstances, relatives take responsibilities for these children instead of the State Child Protective Services,” the report said. “This saves the state money, but can be very burdensome to the family. Though relatives welcome the children, they often face unexpected lifestyle changes. The challenges can be physically, emotionally and financially overwhelming.”

Under the enabling legislation, the 13-member task force will operate on outside funding. Any person authorized or desiring to make a financial or in-kind contribution must certify to the Legislative Council that he or she has no pecuniary or vested interest in the outcome of the study.

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