Kinship Caregiver Law Project

The Kinship Caregiver Law Project helps over 400 families each year with custody, guardianship and adoption matters.

In New York City, over 300,000 children are being raised by grandparents and other relatives because their parents are unable to care for them. MFY’s Kinship Caregiver Law Project helps to stabilize families, promote children’s security, and prevent children from entering the foster care system. The project matches grandparents and other kin caregivers with private pro bono attorneys from well-established firms who represent caregivers in custody, guardianship and adoption proceedings.

In addition, Project attorneys provide advice and counsel to kin caregivers who call the Project’s infoline and meet directly with kin caregivers at regularly held clinics at Family Court in Brooklyn and the Bronx.

The Project offers CLE-certified training to attorneys who are interested in providing pro bono services to kin caregivers.

The Kinship Caregiver Law Project advocates for policies and programs that improve the lives of kinship caregiving families, providing leadership to the New York City Kincare Task Force (PDF) and the New York State Kincare Coalition.

Stabilizing Families

Ms. C. contacted MFY seeking to adopt a nephew who she had cared for from birth. The child's mother had planned on leaving him in the hospital, but Ms. C took the child home so that he would not enter the foster care system. The biological mother, whose first two children were removed from her care by protective services, frequently harassed Ms. C. by telephone, forcing her to obtain an order of protection. Although she desperately wanted to adopt the child, Ms. C. was afraid of what the mother might do when served with adoption papers. With support and encouragement from her attorney, Ms. C. proceeded with the adoption. In the end, the mother failed to appear in court, and Ms C. was able to adopt the boy she considered "her baby, her son and her life."