Increased Support and Priority Placement for Kinship Families and Grandparents.
This law strengthens support for families where children are raised by relatives, such as grandparents, outside the formal foster care system. It mandates that state child welfare systems prioritize placing children with kin and ensures these caregivers receive specialized training and resources, including support for mental health and substance abuse issues. The goal is to provide greater equity and better protection for children unable to live with their parents.
Key points
State child welfare systems must prioritize placing children with relatives as the first placement option and actively work to license kin as foster parents.
Kinship caregivers (grandparents, relatives) will gain access to specialized training on managing children's behavioral health challenges, trauma, and accessing eligible services.
National resources and information sharing will be improved to better support kinship families operating both inside and outside the formal foster care system.
Expired
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