As the children in their care enter their senior year of high school, kin/grandfamily caregivers will be thinking about what comes next, including, potentially, higher education and how to pay for it. Here’s what they need to know

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

Download the presentation 

View the webinar recording

View the October 11, 2023 webinar which provided an overview of the new federal rule allowing all title IV-E child welfare agencies to adopt kin-specific foster care licensing standards, thus allowing more children to be cared for by financially supported kin they know and love. The webinar rolled out a new national set of recommendations and featured national kinship experts as well as state child welfare leaders in support of the rule change. 

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 a guidance on evaluating progress. 

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 8/15/25, 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.