Kin Connector helpline: 1-866-KIN-2111 -- a helpline for families in kinship care situations, including grandparents raising their grandchildren. The KinConnector helpline can help kinship care families access local, state, and federal resources. More information about KinConnector and its services and supports for kinship families can be found at www.kinconnector.org.

August 1, 2019
Pennsylvania departments of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller and Aging (PDA) Secretary Robert Torres today announced a helpline for families in kinship care situations, including grandparents raising their grandchildren because of the opioid crisis. The KinConnector helpline can help kinship care families access local, state, and federal resources.

KinConnector was created by Act 89 of 2018, which established a kinship navigator program for Pennsylvania. KinConnector will be the bridge that helps families identify resources that can ease this process for the entire family.

The KinConnector helpline is staffed by Kinship Navigators - compassionate, knowledgeable social service professionals prepared to help families locate, understand, and access resources that may be able to help them. Kinship Navigators will connect grandparents and other relatives who are raising children with resources such as health, financial, and legal services, support groups, training, and parenting advice.They will help families locate physical or behavioral health services, enroll the child in school, find support groups, and other services designed to help caregivers.

They will also be available to help families apply for federal, state, and local benefits such as Social Security, public assistance, or CHIP.

And the helpline is just the beginning. A website of resources is set to launch later this year.

September 16, 2020 - DHS press release announces launch of KinConnector website, "a resource designed to help kinship care families connect to services and supports that can help children and their caregivers."

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Matthew Kaplan, Ph.D.
  • Professor, Intergenerational Programs and Aging

Contact Us

Matthew Kaplan, Ph.D.
  • Professor, Intergenerational Programs and Aging