New York Kinship Care Support Groups for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

Filing for guardianship or custody is a legal process. Living with the emotional weight of raising a grandchild or relative's child — the grief, the exhaustion, the guilt over a son or daughter who could not parent — is something else entirely. Support groups do not fill out your court forms, but they put you in a room (or on a call) with people who understand exactly what your days look like. Here is where to find them in New York.

Statewide Resources

NYS Kinship Navigator — The statewide information and referral service funded by the Office of Children and Family Services. Call 1-877-454-6463 (toll-free) for county-specific referrals to local support groups, legal clinics, and benefit guidance. The Navigator covers all 62 counties and can connect you with groups that meet near you. They maintain a directory of active kinship programs and update it regularly.

AARP GrandFacts — New York — AARP's state fact sheet compiles contact information for kinship programs, legal aid organizations, and financial assistance resources specific to New York. Available free online. It is a starting-point directory, not a support group itself, but it lists groups you may not find through a web search alone.

NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) — OCFS funds local kinship programs in some counties. Check the Kinship Navigator's county resource pages or ask your county DSS which services are active in your area, including any support groups offered by community agencies.

New York City

NYC has the highest concentration of kinship care programs in the state, spread across the five boroughs.

NYC Administration for Children's Services (ACS) — Kinship Foster Care — ACS works with contracted foster care agencies when children enter foster care and, whenever possible, places them with relatives or family friends. If a child was placed with you through ACS, ask your caseworker which agency is handling the case and what caregiver services are currently available in your borough.

Catholic Guardian Services / New Alternatives for Children — These agencies may be useful starting points for kinship caregiver services. Ask the NYS Kinship Navigator or each provider which programs are currently available, whether they run a caregiver group, and whether childcare is offered.

NYC Family Court Self-Help Centers — Located in Family Court buildings across the city. They do not run support groups, but the Help Center can assist with court forms and procedural questions; ask whether it has referrals to local kinship organizations.

Upstate and Suburban Counties

Outside the city, kinship support is less centralized but still available.

County DSS Kinship Programs — Start by asking county DSS offices in Erie (Buffalo), Monroe (Rochester), Onondaga (Syracuse), Albany, or Westchester which kinship caregiver services are currently available. Use the Kinship Navigator's county resource page to check local providers, and ask specifically for the kinship care coordinator.

Cornell Cooperative Extension — Relatives as Parents Program — Several counties run grandparent caregiver support groups through Cornell Cooperative Extension offices. These tend to be smaller, community-based meetings with a mix of practical topics (nutrition, school advocacy, stress management) and peer sharing. Check your county's Cooperative Extension website for schedules.

Catholic Charities and Family Service Agencies — In counties where these agencies are listed as kinship providers, ask whether they currently offer a caregiver group, how often it meets, and whether relative caregivers can attend without being enrolled in another agency program.

Virtual and Phone-Based Groups

If you live in a rural county with no local group, or if health or transportation makes in-person meetings difficult, several options exist.

Generations United — The national kinship advocacy organization publishes grandfamilies resources and hosts webinars and events. Check its current listings for virtual offerings; it is a national resource, not a New York-specific support group.

AARP Online Community — Caregiving — A public online forum where caregivers share experiences and ask questions. It is not New York-specific or limited to grandparents raising grandchildren.

County DSS / Navigator referrals — If you cannot attend in person, call your county kinship coordinator or the NYS Kinship Navigator and ask what phone or virtual support options are currently available.

What Support Groups Actually Help With

Kinship support groups are not therapy sessions, though some have licensed facilitators. What they reliably provide:

• Practical knowledge — other caregivers who have already filed for guardianship, navigated Medicaid applications, or dealt with a school that refused enrollment share exactly what worked and what did not
• Emotional validation — the specific grief of watching an adult child struggle while raising their child is something most friends and family do not understand; a room of people who live it does
• Benefit awareness — caregivers frequently learn about programs they qualify for (child-only TANF, Medicaid for the child, SNAP, HEAP, child care assistance) from peers who already receive them
• Respite connections — some programs coordinate respite care so you can attend medical appointments, handle errands, or simply rest

Getting Started

Call the NYS Kinship Navigator at 1-877-454-6463 and tell them your county. They will give you current contact information for the closest active support group and any upcoming kinship events in your area. If you are also working through the court process, the New York Guardianship and Custody Court Process Guide covers the legal steps — the forms, the filing, the hearings — while your support group covers everything the court paperwork does not.

See more New York guides →