Schema: Article + FAQPage
Internal links (5): Pennsylvania inmate search, send money, Pennsylvania reentry resources, Staying Connected hub, how prison works hub
Voice: Plain, honest, practical. No false comfort. No condescension. She made a choice. Honor it and give her what she needs.
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[NOTE: 60 chars exactly -- at the limit. Acceptable.]
[NOTE: 158 chars -- 2 over. Trim: "Pennsylvania KinConnector is a warmline for kinship families. Here is what the state offers grandparents when a parent is incarcerated." = 135 chars. Try: "Pennsylvania KinConnector is a warmline staffed by trained navigators available to all kinship families. Here is what the state offers grandparents." = 148 chars. Good.]
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Pennsylvania | InmateAid
Pennsylvania's Kinship Navigator is called **KinConnector**. The phone number is **1-866-546-2111**. It is a warmline -- meaning the people who answer it are trained social service professionals, not an automated system. They are prepared to listen, provide guidance, and connect you to what you need. The email is admin@kinsupport.org. The website is kinconnector.org.
KinConnector was created by Act 89 of 2018 and administered through a partnership with PA DHS (Department of Human Services). It serves kinship families both inside and outside the child welfare system. Bilingual (Spanish) KinConnector navigators are available.
Pennsylvania estimates that approximately 259,405 children under 18 live in homes without parents present -- in the care of grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relative caregivers. KinConnector exists because those families were navigating TANF, CHIP, SNAP, court processes, school enrollment, and legal questions largely on their own.
Pennsylvania launched KinConnector in response to the opioid crisis. That is still where most of these calls come from.
**COMPASS** -- Pennsylvania's online benefits portal at compass.state.pa.us -- is the single application point for TANF, SNAP, CHIP, Medicaid, and Child Care Works. You can apply for all of them at once, or call your County Assistance Office at 1-800-692-7462.
You did not plan for this. You raised your children. You got to the other side of it. And then your child was incarcerated and the grandchildren needed somewhere to go. You said yes.
The Decision You Already Made
You already made the hardest decision. The grandchildren are with you. Everything else in this article is about making that workable.
A few things to understand about your position in Pennsylvania right now:
Call KinConnector first: 1-866-546-2111. A navigator will help you figure out where to start, what benefits you qualify for, and what legal steps make sense in your county.
Use COMPASS (compass.state.pa.us) to apply for TANF, SNAP, CHIP, Medicaid, and Child Care Works. Or call your County Assistance Office at 1-800-692-7462.
Get a notarized POA from the incarcerated parent through PA DOC notary services. Contact the facility case manager. This is the starting tool for educational and medical authority while you pursue more formal legal status.
Legal Authority: What It Is and How to Get It in Pennsylvania
**Power of Attorney**
A notarized parental POA from the incarcerated parent gives you immediate authority for school enrollment and medical care. PA DOC facilities have notary services -- contact the facility case manager.
**Custody (Court of Common Pleas)**
Legal custody through Pennsylvania's Court of Common Pleas is the primary long-term legal pathway for grandparents not in the county Children and Youth Services (CYS) system. Pennsylvania law allows grandparents to petition for custody or partial custody of a grandchild in certain circumstances, including when the parent is incarcerated.
Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (palegalaid.net; 1-800-322-7572) connects income-eligible individuals to local legal aid programs for legal matters including custody and guardianship.
**Guardianship (Orphans' Court)**
Guardianship in Pennsylvania is established through the Orphans' Court division. With guardianship, you have comprehensive legal authority for the grandchildren's care, education, and medical treatment.
KinConnector can help you understand the difference between custody and guardianship in Pennsylvania and refer you to legal resources.
**Guardianship Subsidy**
Pennsylvania offers reimbursement for certain expenses related to raising children for eligible guardians. Income-based. Ask KinConnector or your county Children and Youth Services office about current eligibility.
**Kinship Foster Care (County CYS Cases)**
If county Children and Youth Services placed the grandchildren with you, you are in the formal kinship foster care system. You may become a licensed foster family home and receive foster care maintenance payments. Contact PA DHS Bureau of Children and Family Services: 717-787-4756.
**SWAN (Statewide Adoption Network)**
For families navigating adoption, custody, or guardianship processes: SWAN provides resources and post-permanency services including support groups and referrals. adoptpakids.org | 1-800-585-7926.
**Adoption**
Adoption permanently terminates the biological parent's parental rights. SWAN and KinConnector can both provide information on the guardianship-vs-adoption question for Pennsylvania families.
Money: What Pennsylvania Offers Kinship Caregivers
**TANF Child-Only Grant**
TANF provides cash assistance to families with children. For grandparents raising grandchildren, the child-only grant is based on the child's income -- the grandparent's income is not counted. Apply through COMPASS (compass.state.pa.us) or your County Assistance Office (1-800-692-7462).
**CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program)**
Pennsylvania CHIP provides health insurance for children whose families earn too much for Medicaid but cannot afford private insurance. Apply through COMPASS or County Assistance Office.
CHIP covers doctor visits, dental, prescriptions, emergency care, and vision.
**Medicaid**
For children who qualify based on income. Apply through COMPASS. Medicaid covers the same services as CHIP and has lower income thresholds.
**SNAP (Food Assistance)**
Apply through COMPASS or your County Assistance Office. The grandchildren's presence increases your household food benefit.
**Child Care Works**
Pennsylvania's child care subsidy program. Helps eligible low-income families pay for child care. Apply through COMPASS or County Assistance Office.
**Foster Care Maintenance Payments (Licensed Foster Homes)**
Monthly payments for licensed foster family homes; cover food, clothing, and personal needs. Contact PA DHS Bureau of Children and Family Services: 717-787-4756. Becoming licensed requires meeting PA foster parent standards through the county CYS agency.
**Guardianship Subsidy**
Income-based reimbursement for certain expenses related to raising relative children. Ask KinConnector (1-866-546-2111) or your county CYS office.
**COMPASS Portal**
compass.state.pa.us or call 1-800-692-7462. Pennsylvania's single online entry point for TANF, SNAP, CHIP, Medicaid, and Child Care Works. You can screen for eligibility and apply for all programs in one session.
**Social Security**
If the incarcerated parent was working before arrest, the grandchildren may be eligible for Social Security dependent benefits. Call 1-800-772-1213. SSI may be available for grandchildren with disabilities.
KinConnector: The First Call
PA KinConnector is Pennsylvania's official Kinship Navigator Program, created by Act 89 of 2018 and administered by The Bair Foundation in partnership with PA DHS.
**Contact:**
- Warmline: **1-866-KIN-2111 (1-866-546-2111)**
- Email: admin@kinsupport.org
- Website: kinconnector.org
**What KinConnector provides:**
- Warmline staffed by trained KinConnector navigators (compassionate, knowledgeable social service professionals)
- Information and referrals for financial assistance, legal aid, support groups, permanency questions, trainings, local nonprofits, and statewide assistance
- Connection to county-specific resources
- Bilingual support (Spanish-speaking navigators available)
- Guidance on applying for CHIP, Social Security, TANF, and other benefits
KinConnector serves families both inside and outside the child welfare system. If you are raising grandchildren in an informal arrangement with no county CYS involvement, KinConnector still serves you.
KinConnector was specifically launched in response to Pennsylvania's opioid crisis. The navigators on this line understand that what brought many families to this situation was a substance use disorder followed by incarceration. That context shapes how they listen.
Penn State Extension: Relatives as Parents Program (RAPP)
Pennsylvania also has a university-based kinship support program through Penn State Extension. The Relatives as Parents Program (RAPP) operates through county-based Extension educators who collaborate with human service professionals across Pennsylvania.
What RAPP provides:
- Help finding resources and services for relative caregivers
- Support groups that serve kinship care families
- Family-based recreational and relationship-enhancing activities
- Connection to the PA Kinship Navigator online database (county-by-county listings of programs and services)
Find your county Extension educator through Penn State Extension: aese.psu.edu/extension/intergenerational/program-areas/kinship.
RAPP is particularly valuable in rural Pennsylvania counties where county-level resources are thinner.
Area Agencies on Aging
Some Pennsylvania Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) offer Caregiver or Grandparent Support Programs that provide resources, support groups, and financial assistance to grandparents raising grandchildren.
Contact your local AAA or call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 to find what is available in your county.
**Grandparents for Grandchildren (G4G)**
G4G operates in Pennsylvania with support groups for grandparents and children, food distribution, financial support through grants and fundraising, and holiday programming. Ask KinConnector for current G4G contacts in your area.
The School Question
With a POA, legal custody, or guardianship, school enrollment in Pennsylvania is straightforward.
Without legal authority: use the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Pennsylvania schools must immediately enroll children in unstable housing situations, including children living with relatives due to a parent's incarceration. Ask the school district's McKinney-Vento liaison.
KinConnector navigators specifically help families enroll grandchildren in school and navigate the documentation process. Call 1-866-546-2111.
For children with IEPs, you will need legal authority or signed parental authorization from the incarcerated parent to participate in planning meetings. PA DOC facilities have notary services -- contact the facility case manager.
Medical Authorization Before Court Paperwork Is Done
Get a notarized parental POA from the incarcerated parent through PA DOC notary services. Contact the facility case manager.
Apply for CHIP or Medicaid for the grandchildren through COMPASS at compass.state.pa.us. CHIP and Medicaid enrollment do not require legal authority -- they require proof of Pennsylvania residency and the child's identity.
Pennsylvania's Geographic Reality
Pennsylvania spans from the Philadelphia suburbs in the southeast through the densely populated I-78/I-80 corridors to Pittsburgh in the west, with the rural northern tier and central highlands in between. The northern tier -- Tioga, Sullivan, Bradford, Wyoming, Clinton, Lycoming Counties -- is remote and economically challenged. Northeastern PA (Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton) has been significantly affected by the opioid crisis. Western PA outside Pittsburgh similarly.
PA DOC facilities are distributed across the state: SCI Phoenix (Montgomery County, near Philadelphia), SCI Dallas (Luzerne County, NEPA), SCI Muncy for women (Lycoming County, north-central PA), SCI Cambridge Springs for women (Crawford County, northwest PA), SCI Chester (Delaware County, near Philadelphia), SCI Houtzdale (Clearfield County, central PA), and many others. For a Philadelphia family visiting SCI Houtzdale: about 3 hours north on I-76.
KinConnector operates statewide. In rural northern tier counties, RAPP through Penn State Extension may be the most accessible on-the-ground support.
What She Is Carrying That He Cannot See
You did not plan for this stage of your life. The grandchildren arrived and with them came school forms, doctor appointments, someone to be home, someone to sit with a child who is afraid.
Pennsylvania launched KinConnector specifically because so many grandparents were doing this alone -- in Philadelphia row houses and Pittsburgh neighborhoods and small towns in Sullivan County -- without knowing where to turn. The opioid crisis arrived faster than any support system could respond.
You are also carrying your feelings about your child who is incarcerated. Those feelings do not have to resolve. You can love your child and be furious. You can hope for the release and fear what comes after.
The KinConnector warmline is staffed by people who understand this situation. Call 1-866-546-2111. The support groups through your local AAA, through G4G, through RAPP -- those communities of other grandparents doing what you are doing exist in Pennsylvania. Find them.
Talking to the Grandchildren About Where Their Parent Is
The children know something is wrong. Silence does not protect them.
Use honest, age-appropriate language. For a young child: "Your dad made a mistake and he has to stay somewhere else while he learns from it. You are safe and I am here." For an older child: "Your mom is in prison. She did something against the law and a judge decided she needs to be there for a while. She loves you. She is not in danger."
Do not make promises about when the parent will be home that you cannot keep. Let the children have their feelings. Keep the parent present in appropriate ways: photos, letters, phone calls.
PA DOC phone calls go through ICS Corrections / GTL. You control which numbers are approved. The grandchildren's relationship with their incarcerated parent is theirs.
CHIP and Medicaid cover mental health services for children. If the grandchildren are struggling, ask the school counselor for a referral or the child's CHIP/Medicaid primary care provider.
Your Relationship With Your Incarcerated Child
Your feelings about your child are complicated. You are raising their children because they cannot. Both things are true.
What the grandchildren need: to see that you are not punishing their parent through them.
What you need: a place to hold the complicated feelings that is not in front of the grandchildren. KinConnector, the AAA support groups, G4G, a therapist, a pastor, a trusted person -- any of these is better than carrying it alone.
What to Do First: A Practical Checklist
Call KinConnector: 1-866-546-2111 or email admin@kinsupport.org. A trained navigator will help you understand what Pennsylvania offers in your specific county.
Get a notarized POA from the incarcerated parent through PA DOC notary services. Contact the facility case manager.
Apply for TANF child-only, CHIP or Medicaid, SNAP, and Child Care Works through COMPASS (compass.state.pa.us) or call your County Assistance Office at 1-800-692-7462.
Enroll the grandchildren in school. Use the POA for documentation. Use McKinney-Vento if needed. KinConnector can help with school enrollment navigation.
Start the custody or guardianship process. Contact Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (palegalaid.net; 1-800-322-7572) for free civil legal help if income-eligible. Ask KinConnector for legal referrals in your county.
If county CYS is involved: ask your caseworker about foster care maintenance payments, kinship licensing, and guardianship subsidy eligibility. Contact PA DHS Bureau of Children and Family Services: 717-787-4756.
Contact SWAN (adoptpakids.org; 1-800-585-7926) for post-permanency support, support groups, and guidance on guardianship and adoption options.
Find your county AAA through the Eldercare Locator (1-800-677-1116) for Grandparent Support Program services.
Contact Penn State Extension RAPP (aese.psu.edu/extension/intergenerational/program-areas/kinship) for county-based support groups and family activities.
Take care of yourself. The KinConnector warmline is there. Call it.
FAQ
**What is PA KinConnector?** Pennsylvania's official Kinship Navigator Program, created by Act 89 of 2018, administered by The Bair Foundation in partnership with PA DHS. Phone (warmline): 1-866-546-2111. Email: admin@kinsupport.org. Website: kinconnector.org. Serves all kinship families in Pennsylvania regardless of child welfare involvement. Bilingual (Spanish) navigators available. Provides information and referrals for financial assistance, legal aid, support groups, permanency questions, and trainings.
**What is COMPASS?** Pennsylvania's online benefits portal at compass.state.pa.us. Apply for TANF, SNAP, CHIP, Medicaid, and Child Care Works in one place. Or call your County Assistance Office at 1-800-692-7462.
**What is CHIP?** Pennsylvania's Children's Health Insurance Program for children whose families earn too much for Medicaid but cannot afford private insurance. Apply through COMPASS. Covers doctor visits, dental, prescriptions, emergency care, and vision.
**What is Child Care Works?** Pennsylvania's child care subsidy program for eligible low-income families. Apply through COMPASS or your County Assistance Office (1-800-692-7462).
**What is Penn State Extension RAPP?** Relatives as Parents Program -- county-based Extension educators providing support groups, resource navigation, and family activities for relative caregivers across Pennsylvania. Part of the PA Kinship Navigator online database. Find your county contact at aese.psu.edu/extension/intergenerational/program-areas/kinship.
**Can I enroll my grandchildren in school without legal authority?** Yes. Use the parental POA if available (arrange through PA DOC notary services). Otherwise, McKinney-Veto applies -- Pennsylvania schools must immediately enroll children in unstable housing situations including children living with relatives due to a parent's incarceration. KinConnector can help navigate school enrollment at 1-866-546-2111.
**How do I talk to the grandchildren about their parent being in prison?** Use honest, age-appropriate language without promises about when the parent will be home. Let the children have feelings. Keep the parent present appropriately -- photos, letters, PA DOC phone calls through ICS Corrections/GTL. CHIP and Medicaid cover children's mental health services; ask the school counselor or primary care provider for a referral.
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NOTE for Poorwa: verify KinConnector 1-866-546-2111 admin@kinsupport.org kinconnector.org current; verify Act 89 of 2018 Bair Foundation current administrator; verify 259,405 children PA kinship care number current from kinconnector.org; verify COMPASS compass.state.pa.us current PA benefits portal TANF SNAP CHIP Medicaid Child Care Works; verify 1-800-692-7462 County Assistance Offices current; verify TANF child-only grandparent income not counted Pennsylvania; verify CHIP PA still current CHIP program; verify Child Care Works still PA child care subsidy name; verify 717-787-4756 PA DHS Bureau Children Family Services current; verify SWAN adoptpakids.org 1-800-585-7926 current; verify Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network palegalaid.net 1-800-322-7572 current; verify Penn State Extension RAPP still operating aese.psu.edu/extension/intergenerational/program-areas/kinship; verify guardianship subsidy still available PA -- income-based reimbursement; verify PADOC ICS Corrections GTL phone provider; verify McKinney-Vento still applicable; verify meta title exactly 60 chars; len/character check before publish.]