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  • Latest News

    Check out the newest national resources, publications and announcements to assist Grandfamilies.

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  • Need Help?

    See State Fact Sheets to obtain important state specific kinship resources, information and data.

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  • Creating a Kin First Culture

    View these resources and state examples on creating a kin first culture which includes a child welfare system that promotes kinship placement, helps children in foster care maintain connections with their family, and tailors services and supports for kinship foster families.

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  • Latest News

    Check out the newest national resources, publications and announcements to assist Grandfamilies including
    COVID-19 Resource Page.

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  • Need Help?

    See State Fact Sheets to obtain important state specific kinship resources, information and data.

    Learn More

Search Laws

A searchable database of laws and legislation affecting grandfamilies both inside and outside the foster care system for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

 

 

 

Resources

The Grandfamilies State Law and Policy Center compiles free and online legal resources in support of grandfamilies within and outside the child welfare system.

 

 

Publications

View our publications that support grandfamilies including: Model Family Foster Home Licensing Standards, Using the Guardianship Assistance Program (GAP), and Relative Foster Care Licensing Waivers in States.

Topic Library

The information compiled on this site provides aid and information in a variety of relevant topics, updated regularly to give grandfamilies the information they rely on.

 

 

Latest News
Kin-Specific Licensing Progress Tracker

Kin-Specific Licensing Progress Tracker

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 9/1/24, 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.
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Criminal Background Barriers to Foster Home Licensing for Kin Caregivers

Criminal Background Barriers to Foster Home Licensing for Kin Caregivers

View the webinar recording This webinar with ABA Center on Children and the Law and Generations United examines how child welfare agencies follow the requirements in the long-standing federal Adam Walsh law. This law sensibly bars individuals who have been convicted of violent felonies from ever becoming licensed or approved as foster parents. But, most jurisdictions go well beyond federal requirements and prevent individuals from becoming foster parents for minor, non-violent crimes. 
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Engaging and Supporting Kinship Caregivers

Engaging and Supporting Kinship Caregivers

Part 4 of the Annie E. Casey Foundation's Family Ties series based on a survey of state child welfare administrators. This resource examines state policies and strategies for identifying, notifying, and supporting kinship caregivers, as well as the availability of kinship navigator programs in each state.
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Kinship Assessment Tool

Kinship Assessment Tool

The ABA Center on Children and the Law and Generations United, in partnership with Casey Family Programs, have created this practical kinship assessment tool with resource links to support the array of child welfare agencies—from those that are embarking on a kin-first journey to those that are continuously striving for quality improvement.
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AECF New Insights on State Kinship Diversion Policies

AECF New Insights on State Kinship Diversion Policies

The Annie E. Casey Foundation has released its third brief in a five-part series  - Family Ties: Analysis from a State-By-State Survey of Kinship Care Policies - based on survey data collected in 2022 for the AECF by Child Trends.  This brief,  New Insights on State Kinship Diversion Policies, examines survey data related to state’s policies for creating, overseeing and tracking diversion arrangements and the resources made available for children and kinship caregivers in diversion arrangements.
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Legal Assistance for Native Kinship/ Grandfamilies Involved with Child Welfare: How to Find an Attorney & Help Them Help You

Legal Assistance for Native Kinship/ Grandfamilies Involved with Child Welfare: How to Find an Attorney & Help Them Help You

If you are a Native parent or relative caregiver (whether grandparent, other extended family member, or family friend) of a child who was removed from their parents by a state child welfare system, this resource prepared by the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA) is for you. 
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Development and Implementation of Tribal Foster Care and Relative/Kinship Care Standards: Second Edition

Development and Implementation of Tribal Foster Care and Relative/Kinship Care Standards: Second Edition

This guidebook, developed by our partners at the National Indian Child Welfare Association, particularly Subject Matter Expert Terry L. Cross, MSW, ACSW, LCSW and Mariah Meyerholz, MSW, discusses several important considerations and suggests a process through which tribes can develop locally appropriate standards. It is based on the premise that foster care standards, including care by relatives, are most useful when developed by the tribal community in which they will be used and when a broad segment of that community participates in the development and implementation process.
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New Children and Families Administration Rule: Foster Care Legal Representation Kinship Provisions

New Children and Families Administration Rule: Foster Care Legal Representation Kinship Provisions

Summary of the final rule on legal representation issued by ACYF on May 9, 2024, and how it could impact legal services for kin caregivers. The rule allows Title IV-E agencies to use federal funds to cover the costs of legal representation, including for kinship caregivers. The rule also expands the types of legal proceedings that are eligible for this funding to include civil legal proceedings that may impact family preservation and placement stability, such as housing or benefit access.
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"Family Ties" Report on Kinship Care Policy Urges Action to Support Kin Caring for Youth Involved with the Child Welfare System

Press release announcing new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation that identifies efforts by states, DC, and Puerto Rico to promote kinship care and support kinship caregivers. It highlights progress made at reducing barriers to foster care licensing, long-standing inequities in financial assistance for kinship caregivers and new opportunities to address their needs. The survey’s data, collected in 2022 by Child Trends, and analysis will be shared in a series of six briefs addressing aspects of kinship care policy.
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Kinship Unity Action Agenda

Kinship Unity Action Agenda

A collective advocacy tool created by Generations United, the ABA Center on Children and the Law, and Think of Us to guide our future work to support kinship families. The action agenda identifies and prioritizes key policy opportunities to support kinship families. It was created through a convening of national advocates, featuring professionals with diverse perspectives and individuals with lived experience in grandfamilies/kinship families, and incorporates feedback from the broader advocacy community, grandfamilies services providers, and focus groups with kinship caregivers from varied backgrounds.
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Criminal Background Checks, Barrier Crimes, and Foster Care Licensing: State Variations Complying with Federal Law & The Path Forward

Criminal Background Checks, Barrier Crimes, and Foster Care Licensing: State Variations Complying with Federal Law & The Path Forward

Memo by the ABA Center on Children and the Law and Generations United examining the federal and state laws that prevent kinship caregivers from becoming licensed based on previous criminal convictions. The memo analyzes state laws and policies related to criminal licensing barriers and explores opportunities to change these policies based on the recent federal rule allowing kin-specific licensing standards.
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Supporting Kinship Families of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children

Supporting Kinship Families of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children

In recent years, record numbers of unaccompanied immigrant children have crossed into the United States. While many of these children are soon reunited with and released to parents who are already in the U.S., upwards of 60 percent are released to sponsors who are kin. This tip sheet provides information and guidance to help you better serve these kinship families. 
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2023 State of Grandfamilies - Building Resilience: Supporting Grandfamilies’ Mental Health and Wellness

2023 State of Grandfamilies - Building Resilience: Supporting Grandfamilies’ Mental Health and Wellness

The 2023 State of Grandfamilies Report - Building Resilience: Supporting Grandfamilies' Mental Health and Wellness aims to bring attention to the mental health and emotional wellness of grandfamilies, shed light on their resilience and challenges they face, and provide innovative solutions and resources to better support them. 
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New Rule Allows for Kin-Specific Licensing Standards

New Rule Allows for Kin-Specific Licensing Standards

The US Administration for Children and Families approved a new rule allowing kin-specific licensing or approval standards for kinship foster homes.
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The Role of Kin Caregivers in Education

The Role of Kin Caregivers in Education

This resource discusses the role of kin caregivers in education including if the child is in child welfare custody or not in custody., 
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ABA Child Law Article Series August 2023

ABA Child Law Article Series August 2023

ABA Journal Children and the Law Article Series highlighting advocate support for kinship care and the use of shadow foster care systems to place children with kin outside of child welfare. August 2023. 
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2023 Update - Children Thrive in Grandfamilies

2023 Update - Children Thrive in Grandfamilies

Children Thrive in Grandfamilies Fact Sheet, a resource updated by Generations United, provides key facts about how children do in the care of relatives and a list of research articles to support the facts. 2023. 
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2022 Kinship Promising Practices

2022 Kinship Promising Practices

This brief provides kinship practice examples from across the country, organized by seven main topics, to help jurisdictions change policy and practice to promote kin placement and permanency, and successfully implement a kin-first culture shift.
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2022 State of Grandfamilies - Together at the Table: Supporting the Nutrition, Health, and Well-Being of Grandfamilies

2022 State of Grandfamilies - Together at the Table: Supporting the Nutrition, Health, and Well-Being of Grandfamilies

The 2022 State of Grandfamilies Report –  Together at the Table: Supporting the Nutrition, Health, and Well-Being of Grandfamilies includes the latest findings on grandfamilies facing high rates of hunger and food insecurity, as well as policy recommendations to help feed grandfamilies.
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Guardianship Assistance Program (GAP): Barriers and Key Considerations

Guardianship Assistance Program (GAP): Barriers and Key Considerations

This brief outlines key considerations when addressing barriers to GAP participation and promoting a kin-first culture. These considerations were informed by regional convenings held in June 2021 of more than 200 representatives from 44 states, four tribes, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia.
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