The Bluegrass Regional GAP conference committee is excited to announce the opportunity to participate in the first Grandparents as Parents of Kentucky – also known as GAP – virtual workshop.
“Kinship care: Advocacy and Taking Care of the Caregiver,” is the title of the event which will take place at 1 p.m., Thursday, March 25 (noon central time) on Zoom and Facebook Live.
Guest speaker is Norma Hatfield, a champion for grandparents raising grandchildren and a grandmother.
Hatfield is a child advocate, raising two grandchildren in Elizabethtown, Ky. As a result of personal experience with the family court system, Hatfield has dedicated time and effort toward finding state funding to benefit relatives and caregivers and the children they care for.
Her persistent work with state legislators has created dialogue and policy modifications and it continues to evolve.
Hatfield is president of the Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky, a GRAND Voices Network member. She is a recipient of the Kentucky Youth Advocates “Courage for Kids” Champion for Children and Kentucky Regional Planning Agency Outstanding Advocate awards.
She connects to a vast audience through her “Support Kinship Care in Kentucky” Facebook page and her work with the Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky.
The number of kinship families in Kentucky continues to grow annually. This presentation will focus on different types of kinship care in Kentucky, their status and the effects the current pandemic has had. Learn of current caregiver issues as well as the need to speak out as a promoter for change. Tips on self care and sources of care will also be shared.
To register for the GAP conference, register at http://www.gapofky.org.
Due to the pandemic, the in-person GAP conference has been postponed until Oct. 21, 2021.
For more information on the Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Conference or to be placed on our mailing list please contact the Fayette County Extension Office (859) 257-5582 or email fayette.ext@uky.edu
