Foster Care Licensing

Resource showing where states, territories, and tribes are in the process of adopting kin-specific licensing standards. The map and chart are current as of 4/20/26, and will be periodically updated. 

--  Click on the states on the map who have been approved to see their kin-specific licensing policies, procedures, and resources.

--  As this map is updated regularly please REFRESH your page to view the most current version. 

Use this kinship licensing data collection template to assist in evaluation of your jurisdiction's implementation of new kin-specific licensing standards. The template will open as an editable Excel spreadsheet.

HHS brief that describes the benefits of kinship care and recent steps that states and the federal government have taken to promote kinship care. The brief also identifies further opportunities for states to promote kinship care, including by adopting kin-specific licensing standards, participating in Title IV-E kinship navigator programs, and broadening their definition of relative/kin.

Chapin Hall policy brief that outlines key considerations for states considering implementing kin-specific licensing standards. Contains questions and discussion guides for topics including Planning and Readiness, Implementation and Change Management, and Evaluating and Improving Quality.

Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network page with links to webinar recording, presentation slides, and other resources about the progress that states and tribes have made in implementing kin-specific licensing standards. Learn from the experiences of three title IV-E agencies that are piloting the standards, and explore what to consider as you implement them in your state or tribe.

The first brief from the Annie E. Casey Foundation's "Family Ties" series based on a state-by-state survey of kinship care policies. This resource explores survey data about two state policies that can help kinship caregivers obtain foster home licenses: provisional or emergency licensure, and waivers for certain foster home licensing requirements that do not affect a child’s safety. It examines existing state policies and opportunities for change in light of a recent federal rule change that gave states the option of creating specific licensing standards for kinship caregivers.