Tip sheet summarizing the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) and what legal professionals should know about the law, particularly as it relates to kin. It also explains the benefits to children of maintaining connections to tribal culture and community.

Generations United and Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption brief outlining recommendations to support permanencywith kin through adoption and guardianship. Recommendations include increasing investment in post-permanency supports for kinship families, supporting kinship navigators to help with adoption and permanency, establishing robust respite networks and programs for kinship families, and encouraging states and tribes to adopt kin-specific licensing and approval standards.

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.

Report by the National Conference of State Legislatures highlighting state policies regarding kinship care. The report explains the benefits of kinship care, shares state-by-state data about kinship placement, and gives examples of state laws on strategies inlcuding defining kinship providers, identifying kin and prioritizing kinship placements, reducing red tape for kin-specific licensure, providing supportive services and assistance to kinship caregivers, and ensuring long-term stability. 

Resource highlighting progress that has been made towards thethe 2024 Kinship Unity Action Agenda's priority areas since its release. This update highlights major collective accomplishments from the field that have national implications. It is not designed to be a comprehensive overview of the important, ongoing state and community-based work happening across the country every day.

Finalized kin-specific licensing or approval standards, guidance and template forms for kinship foster family homes developed by national organizations with input from kin caregivers, subject matter experts, and at least 45 title IV-E agencies. These Kin-Specific Foster Home Approval Standards respect the unique circumstances of kin caregivers, removing historic barriers and striving to make the approval process more flexible for kin caregivers.  -- For sample template forms please visit this page.   -- Visit this page in Spanish

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. 

This U.S. Government Accountability Office report describes the characteristics of kinship families, how their challenges may have changed since the COVID-19 pandemic, the resources they are accessing, and how the federal government primarily supports them. 

The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) dashboard now includes data from Sept. 30., 2025. This data includes the percent of children in care in each state who are living with licensed and unlicensed relatives/kin. To view a state-level kinship placement data map, visit this page. For a kinship placement map by race, see this page. Note that states may use different definitions and standards when reporting this data.

New toolkit created to assist legal professionals understand the value of kinship, the federal laws impacting kin, and the role judges and attorneys play in working with families and kin who open their hearts and homes. In this toolkit you will find resources and practical tips to assist in day-to-day work in addition to a judicial bench card and videos of voices from the field. 

This tool provides 5 steps to support title IV-E agencies and collaborative partners in the implementation of the federal rule allowing for kin-specific foster care licensing. It includes an overview of federal foster home licensing requirements, how to analyze jurisdictional needs, tips on collaboration, and guidance on evaluating progress.