HARRISBURG – Luzerne County Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski introduced legislation to create a Legal Services for Kinship Care Families Grant Program for eligible non-profit organizations that provide civil legal services to kinship care families. Pashinski said there are an estimated 202,000 children in PA who live in households that are headed by their grandparents or other relatives and they deserve access to support and resources just like other foster families.” Under House Bill 2858, grant money through the PA Department of Human Services could used for administrative, civil legal services, and other costs associated with a kinship caregiver retaining the services of a lawyer to ensure the safety and welfare of a child in their care. The proposal builds on legislation creating temporary guardianship for grandparents when parents of children are unable to care for them due to substance use disorder.
REP. EDDIE DAY PASHINSKI