Kinship Care Help Line: 604-558-4740 • 1-855-474-9777
Kinship Care Help Line
The Kinship Care Help Line provides support, advocacy and resource information to grandparents and other relatives raising a family member’s child as well as to service providers and allies.
The Help Line serves callers from across BC and is staffed by two advocates trained in social work, family law, and government services related to child welfare and kinship caregiving. Our services to kinship caregivers are confidential and ongoing.
How We Support You:
- We help you navigate complex service systems such as the Ministry of Children and Family Development
- We help you overcome information barriers; to find the answers, assistance, and resources needed to prevent or solve problems
- We identify benefits and services that will support the whole family.
Meet the advocates
What to expect during a call:
- We listen to your concerns.
- Provide you with personalized advice.
- Connect you with relevant resources and support services.
- Help you navigate legal processes and financial assistance.
- *Help Line advocates can provide fulsome legal information but CANNOT provide legal advice.
What callers are saying…
“Just a shout out to the Kinship Care help line. Very knowledgeable, compassionate and patient staff. I had a terrific conversation this afternoon that helped a lot and made me feel better. Thanks!”
Help Line Caller
“You are my life line. In all the confusion of trying to navigate the system, I feel absolutely supported. You are more than advice that I would never know about. You are my rock in a very tumultuous journey (but worthwhile journey). Thank you.”
Help Line Caller
The kinship advocates have been an integral part of my child’s safety from harm. Without them, I don’t think I could have ever begun to navigate how to make things better. They are life savers…”
Help Line Caller
Events For Kinship Families
Events For Service Providers
Drop-in Indigenous Child Welfare Group
The Kinship Care Help Line advocates hold space for a Cross-Nation group discussion on child welfare matters on the last Wednesday of each month.
This is an opportunity for Indigenous community leaders engaged in the child welfare to learn, inspire and support one another.
Contact our Advocates to find out more info.
Kinship Care Updates
Kinship Care updates are a place for the Kinship Care community to learn about and stay updated on advocacy efforts and relavant developments within government, as well as community. Sign-up today to start receiving email updates!
- Kinship Care Update | August 2026
- Kinship Care Update | May 2025
- Kinship Care Update | February 2025
Our Research
The State of Kinship Care in British Columbia – PSS & University of Northern British Columbia.
What is Advocacy?
At Parent Support Services Society we work to give parents, grandparents, and other kinship caregivers the tools they need in order to advocate for themselves. We do this through our Support Groups and our Kinship Care Help Line. This is individual advocacy.
PSS also participates in systemic advocacy. We are part of larger coalitions such as the First Call: BC Child and Youth Advocacy Society We also sometimes share the concerns we hear from our families – such as the Barriers to Kinship Care, Family Poverty, and the Rights of all children to attend school. We also work with kinship care families as they raise the challenges they face in providing their children with the support they need. Kinship Caregivers have come together and formed their own independent organization that is working for change – Fairness for Children Raised by Relatives.
If you are interested in learning more about PSS’s systemic advocacy contact:
Jane Bouey
604-669-1616 ext. 4
jane.bouey@parentsupportbc.ca
Kinship caregivers advocating for change
Fairness for Children Raised by Relatives
fairness4crr@gmail.com
Advocacy for Indigenous Kinship Care
All Our Relations: Equality for Relatives Raising Relatives
List of advocates
povnet.org