High Country Caregivers recently hosted a site visit with staff from The Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network.
Staff, caregivers, and community partners participated in the site visit, which is a component of the organization’s Exemplary Policies, Practices and Programs initiative. The Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network is the first federally funded national technical assistance center on grandfamilies and kinship families.
“We are focused on identifying and elevating kinship programs that are making a difference in the lives of families in which grandparents, other adult family members or close family friends are raising children when their parents cannot,” said Kylee Craggett, technical assistance specialist for the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network. “It was an honor to visit High Country Caregivers and learn how they are working tirelessly to provide critical services and support to families in the western region of North Carolina.
“Meeting with staff, caregivers, and community partners, we thoroughly enjoyed visiting this program and getting a firsthand look at the valuable work taking place in the High Country.”
High Country Caregivers provide advocacy, support, and education for kinship caregivers and their families. Operating in Avery, Watauga, Ashe, Yancey, Mitchell and Wilkes counties, High Country Caregivers currently serves 313 children and 254 caregivers.
“Through a variety of programs and your support, High Country Caregivers works alongside kinship caregivers to help them improve the lives of these children,” said Jacob Willis, HCC executive director. “We were honored that Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network recognized the work we are doing with the High Country Caregivers Kinship Navigation program. This is the region’s only support community of its kind. Through this program, we offer support to caregivers who have taken on the responsibility of caring for their relatives’ children.”
For more information, visit Highcountrycaregivers.org.