Help relative placements access financial assistance

About this recommendation

Sometimes, the biggest barrier to getting kinship families licensed is not safety concerns but financial requirements. Financial issues may be the only reason a relative placement doesn’t qualify. However, there are various programs that can provide assistance to these families and help them to get licensed.

Help relative placements access other financial assistance to meet the minimum licensing requirement. Better yet, you can waive financial requirements entirely for relative placements, recognizing that poverty should not keep families apart.

How to do this

• Connect relative placements to assistance upfront. Provide a list of benefits that families may qualify for or offer one-on-one application assistance. Examples of benefits include: TANF, SNAP, unemployment insurance, social security, and VA benefits.
• Customize the application assistance and instructions for your area, such as providing necessary translations.
• Conduct a parallel process and carry out the licensing process while families are still working to meet the financial requirements. You can complete many steps, like background checks and home study interviews, even if a family member is still working to access additional financial benefits.
• Waive the financial requirement for relative placements on a case-by-case basis. Many child welfare systems have an exemption process that allows licensors to bypass the financial requirements for a relative placement if the placement is in the best interests of the child.
• Make sure that an exemption process is well-documented and easy for new licensors to learn and follow.
• Set a policy eliminating financial requirements for relative placements. There are no minimum financial requirements set by the federal government for foster parents, only that “applicants must be financially stable to meet their family’s needs prior to placing a foster child in the home.” Your state can modify licensing requirements to eliminate asking relative placements for financial information. However, we still believe ensuring the financial stability of traditionally licensed foster homes is a good practice.

Anticipated costs and benefits

Outcome data

We are still collecting concrete data.

Who's doing this

2 of 54 states and territories have implemented this recommendation.

• Indiana
• Washington State