Mandatory Kinship Care Support: Removing Barriers for Relatives and Fictive Kin
This Act mandates states to prioritize placing children who cannot live safely at home with relatives or close family friends (kinship care). It removes significant barriers for these caregivers, such as age limits and automatic disqualification based on past non-threatening issues, while expanding financial and practical support. The goal is to ensure children maintain family connections and achieve stable, permanent placements faster.
Key points
Mandatory Search: States must make continuous efforts to identify and locate relatives or fictive kin as potential foster, guardianship, or adoptive placements.
Financial Aid Expansion: The Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program becomes mandatory nationwide, and eligibility for assistance is accelerated from 6 months to 3 months of placement.
Barrier Reduction: States cannot deny kinship placement based on age or past criminal records/allegations unless the caregiver poses a current, demonstrable safety threat to the child.
New Support Services: States must provide Kinship Placement Support Services, including crisis stabilization (e.g., direct cash payments for immediate needs, housing, and utility assistance) to support kinship families.
Expired
Citizen Poll