lived nearby and had regular contact with their children. These studies indicate that biological parents’ role can be disturbing, often seen as inconsistent involvement breaking up trust and confidence of children, legal wrangling and undermining grandparents’ rules, leading to less effective parenting on the part of the grandparent. Child Welfare System involvement with kinship care The Child Welfare System and Kinship Care tend to go hand in hand in most cases. From state to state, the child welfare system are different from one another, but they always include departments that focus on social services or children's services. Each agency contains Caseworkers who are normally Social Workers who are required by law to help create a safe environment, better the well being and create permanent living arrangements for children. The involvement of the child welfare system in kinship care varies from State to State due to each state having their own laws and practices that govern these situations. A caseworker within the department of Social Services or Children's services will be the first to approach grandparents or other relatives when the individuals want to become a kinship caregiver. Families are also able to contact their local welfare agencies when seeking help. " Assistance for grandparents and relatives raising children In many U.S. states, financial and service assistance programs that are available to birth parents and foster families are not available to kinship caregivers based on the family relationship to the child. Some states have more kinship support services in place than others, but the following financial assistance is available to qualified caregivers nationwide. In the United Kingdom kinship carers get less help than people fostering or adopting children. Kinship carers can be pushed into debt, poverty, poor health or even homelessness. Judith Blake of the Local Government Association’s children and young people's Board, said councils were “doing what they can” supporting kinship carers in the face of severe pressure on children’s services’ budgets. “Government needs to ensure that councils receive the long-term, consistent funding they need to make sure all children and families are able to thrive.” Supportive services The National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) became law in 2000 under the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act and provides funding for supportive services to grandfamilies. Reauthorized and amended in 2006, NFCSP provides federal funding for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging (AoA) to administer the