On Tuesday, October 23rd, Gov. Tom Wolf signed two pieces of legislation that will help grandparents raising grandchildren in the Commonwealth. One piece, HB 2133, establishes the Kinship Caregiver Navigator Program, which is an informational resource for grandparents in the form of a toll-free hotline and a website. Under the legislation, the website will provide information on support and services available, as well as a specially trained navigator who can provide guidance and support. The second piece of legislation, HB 1539, grants temporary guardianship to grandparents when the child(ren)’s parents are unable to care for them primarily due to substance abuse issues. Temporary guardianship provides grandparents the right to make vital basic decisions for their grandchildren, including the ability to enroll the child in school and/or seek medical care for the child.
According to state officials, about 76,000 grandparents are caring for more than 83,800 grandchildren in the state. It is believed that the increasing opioid epidemic has added to these numbers and that, in the long run, grandparents keeping their grandchild