Nothing About Kinship Families Without Kinship Families
The people closest to kinship care should have a voice in how services are designed
Our Kinship Voice initiatives create opportunities for caregivers and youth to influence GRANDfamilies, share their experiences, and help improve services for kinship families across Utah.
Meet Amanda Callahan
Kinship Voice Coordinator
Amanda brings warmth, enthusiasm, and a genuine passion for making sure kinship families feel heard, valued, and supported. Her natural ability to create a welcoming and calming environment helps families feel comfortable from the moment they walk through the door.
Amanda is especially skilled in peer-to-peer mentorship and leadership, helping caregivers and youth recognize the strength of their own experiences and use their voices to support others. She built both the Caregiver Advisory Board and Youth Council from the ground up, creating meaningful opportunities for kinship caregivers and young people to shape the programs and services designed to support them.
Through her work, Amanda elevates kinship voice throughout every aspect of GRANDfamilies. She believes caregivers and youth should not simply be participants in the program—they should be leaders, partners, and advocates who help shape the future of kinship care.
Caregiver Leadership
Caregivers helping shape the future of kinship care
In May 2026, GRANDfamilies brought caregivers from across Utah together for a Caregiver Leadership Day focused on helping caregivers recognize the value of their experiences and explore ways to use their voices to support and strengthen other kinship families. Caregivers participated in training and conversations about leadership, advocacy, and opportunities to become more involved with GRANDfamilies.
Leadership doesn't have to look the same for everyone. Whether you have a little time to share your experience, want to take on a leadership role, or simply want to provide feedback, there is a place for your voice.
Ways to get involved
Caregiver advisory board
Help shape GRANDfamilies programs, services, and priorities by sharing your perspective and providing input on what kinship families need.
The Caregiver Advisory Board (CAB) meets monthly on a virtual call to work on various projects. CAB members provide feedback on support materials for new kinship families, community partner collaboration, monthly Friend 2 Friend events hosted for families, and more. Members of the CAB may receive exclusive invitations to events and opportunities at the State and National levels, strengthening the voices of Kinship Families throughout Utah.
Co-facilitation
Share your experience and knowledge by helping facilitate Caregiver Psychoeducation classes or Informal Caregiver Support Groups alongside GRANDfamilies staff.
Our psychoeducation classes are strongest when caregivers can learn not only from trained staff, but also from someone who has lived the kinship experience themselves.
GRANDfamilies works with caregivers in each region to provide opportunities for them to co-facilitate our 10-week psychoeducation sessions alongside GRANDfamilies staff. Caregiver co-facilitators bring their own experiences, perspective, and practical knowledge to the conversation, helping participants see that they are not alone in the challenges they are facing.
Co-facilitation is a meaningful leadership opportunity for caregivers who want to give back while continuing to grow their own skills and confidence. Together, our staff and caregiver co-facilitators create a space where professional knowledge and lived experience come together to support stronger families.
Peer-to-peer mentorship
Connect with other kinship caregivers who may be navigating challenges you've experienced yourself. Sometimes the most powerful support comes from someone who truly understands.
When kinship families first connect with a GRANDfamilies Advocate in office, many concerns are addressed and staff work alongside the family to ensure smooth access to services. However, there are times when emotional support is the greatest need and the best person to offer that emotional support is another kinship caregiver. Our Family Advocates can connect individual families with a peer mentor, another kinship caregiver who has lived through the same things and can provide valuable insight into what to expect and how they were able to navigate things.
Share your feedback
Your voice doesn't require a time commitment. Surveys and feedback opportunities help us understand what's working, identify gaps, and improve services for kinship families across Utah.
Every kinship family has a different story, and your experience can help us understand what families across Utah need. By completing our Kinship Household Survey, you can help GRANDfamilies identify needs, strengthen services, and advocate for better resources and support for kinship families.
Whether or not you currently receive services from GRANDfamilies, we want to hear from you.
Take the Kinship Household Survey
You don't have to be an expert to make a difference. your experience is valuable--and another caregiver may need exactly what you have to offer.
Youth Leadership
Young people deserve a seat at the table, too.
GRANDfamilies recognizes that youth have valuable experiences, perspectives, and ideas that can strengthen the support provided to kinship families. The purpose of youth engagement is to create meaningful opportunities for youth to share their voices, develop leadership skills, build connections, and actively contribute to the growth of GRANDfamilies programming.
Youth Council
The GRANDfamilies Youth Council is built on the belief that youth are experts in their own experiences. Through partnership, collaboration, and shared decision-making, youth and staff work together to strengthen programs, create meaningful connections, and build a stronger community for kinship families.
Membership on the GRANDfamilies Youth Council is an opportunity to develop leadership skills, build confidence, and create positive change. Youth are valued as leaders who can influence their peers, strengthen their communities, and help improve services for kinship families.
Youth leaders will have opportunities to:
- Practice communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills
- Lead discussions and activities
- Mentor and encourage other youth Represent youth perspectives within GRANDfamilies
- Develop and share ideas that positively impact the program and community
Turn Your Experience Into Leadership
Ready to learn more and get involved?
Connect with Amanda Callahan,
The Caregiver Experience
Article written by Hilda Ceja, Kinship Caregiver
"In some families, the oldest child becomes more than a sibling. They become the helper, the provider, and the legal guardian. IN some cases, the oldest sibling becomes the full-time parent due to family estrangements or safety concerns. This shift comes with lots of significant emotional strains but can also bring empowerment and growth for the future.
Setting up your younger sibling for success is harder than people anticipate, especially if they're coming up on teenage years or come with a lot of misguidance and unstructured skills. It's no surprise that burnout can happen in caregivers, and needing that support and encouragement really helps. People may experience that their day-to-day life has become more about taking care of others than themselves. You begin to notice a decrease in self-care, break-taking, and emotional regulations, which leads to built up resentment and burnout (National Alliance for Caregiving, n.d.).
Having a supportive system of people from all levels of profession can make a significant contribution towards the journey of raising siblings. The support system can include family members, social workers, and community-based organizations like the Children's Service Society of Utah. These are the people who will be able to provide emotional encouragement, practical assistance, and overall guidance for a better outcome in these situations. The support system will help the sibling caregiver not feel isolated or alone through the process. (Child Welfare Information Gateway, n.d.).
Occupational therapy can benefit the family transition by offering emotional regulation strategies, energy conservation techniques, and healthy coping strategies. For older siblings, these strategies can look like setting up simple routines, attending group classes on parenting, lifestyle skills, and joining outside connections to encourage socializing with other people who may be experiencing similar situations (American Occupational Therapy Association, n.d.).
This is a unique topic that many people may not be familiar with. Bringing that awareness would help both the older and younger siblings and normalize the need for more support and understanding."
