IYI Logo

Helping Children of the Opioid Crisis

Summary

In light of the opioid crisis, increasing numbers of grandparents and other relatives are raising children because their parents have died, are incarcerated, are using drugs or are otherwise unable to take care of their children. Nationally, more than 2.6 million children are raised in “grandfamilies,” by grandparents, other extended family members or close family friends without their parents in the home. In Nevada, approximately 33,000 children live in these families. The opioid crisis is causing a national increase in the number of children going into foster care, and relatives are raising more of these children than ever.

 

Source: Foster Kinship (n.d.) Helping Children of the Opioid Crisis.