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Oregon Relatives As Parents Program (RAPP)

About RAPP

The OSU Extension Family and Community Development Program, in collaboration with the Family Caregiver Support Program, Oregon Seniors and People with Disabilities, and the Mid-Willamette Valley Senior Services Agency, has received a two-year grant from the Brookdale Foundation in New York to form a statewide network and provide technical assistance to foster the development of new relative support groups for kincare families in Oregon. This project targets grandparents or other relatives who have taken on the responsibility of surrogate parenting, when the biological parents are unwilling or unable to do so. Under their Relatives As Parents Program (RAPP), this statewide Initiative asks grantees to initiate 5 new relative support groups; develop a statewide network of local organizations; and establish an "inter-system task force" of state agencies so that collaborative efforts to meet the service needs of surrogate parents can be developed at the highest state levels.

The Brookdale Foundation also awards local Relatives as Parents Program (RAPP) grants. In Oregon, two local organizations received local RAPP grants: the South Coast Head Start, which serves Coos and Curry counties, received a grant to provide support groups, respite care, and legal services to kinship care families. The Milwaukee Center in Clackamas County received a grant in 1998 to provide support groups, services, and information for grandparents raising grandchildren. This project is being sustained by Marcy Hahn, of the Clackamas County Department of Human Services, and other members of a Kinship Care Committee.

For further information about grandparents or other relatives as parents, visit our links for information on support groups and services and resources that might be helpful, such as health, educational, or legal resources.

RAPP Support Groups, What They Can Do for You?

Support groups for custodial grandparents can be a great boon to these caregivers who face an unexpected lifestyle change. By offering caregivers a place to share information, solutions, and feelings with peers going through the same experiences, support groups can help families tremendously.

Some advantages of support groups for grandparents or other relatives raising children are:

• You can feel safe and supported while discussing concerns
• Others will benefit from your knowledge and strengths
• You may learn of informational and educational programs
• Together you can develop methods and skills for solving problems
• You encourage each other in personal growth and development
• Sharing your success strengthens self-esteem
• Having others to talk to provides a network of support

Contact your local senior services agency or the OSU Extension Service office that serves your area to find out whether there are support groups in your community.

How to form a support group : http://parenting.wsu.edu/relative/starting.htm

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Content Contact: Sally Bowman