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 11/1/26, 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.

As states adopt kin-specific licensing standards, private agencies are wondering how this shift may change their role in working with public agencies and kinship families. This Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network and Child Welfare Playbook resource details multiple ways that jurisdictions have strengthened and deepened their relationships with private child welfare agencies in light of kin-specific licensing, using newly freed-up resources to focus on higher-level supports.

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.