Kin caregivers who are already licensed and familiar with the system can make excellent general foster parents. Some may be interested in caring for additional children but haven't considered it or don't know how to make the transition. Ask kin caregivers if they're interested in becoming general foster parents to expand your pool of available families.

How to do this

Create a clear path for kin caregivers to become general caregivers. Make sure they don't have to start the licensing process from scratch.

Have caseworkers discuss this option with kin caregivers. Encourage them to bring up the possibility of becoming a general foster home. Make a note when a kin caregiver has capacity for additional children in their home, even if they currently have only a kin-specific license.

Check for matching kin caregivers when you can't find general caregivers. If your system doesn't allow you to search across both kinds of caregivers, consider changing this when it's time to update your case management system.

This strategy in action

Colorado's Kin Connect child placement agency specializes in encouraging and helping relative caregivers to become generally licensed caregivers.

Washington, D.C. caseworkers track kin caregivers' capacity and milestones on a monthly basis. If they see that a kin caregiver may have extra capacity after a child or youth returns home, they start conversations about becoming a general foster home instead of closing.

Indiana caseworkers are encouraged to discuss the possibility of taking on additional foster placements with kin caregivers on an individual basis.

Oklahoma caseworkers are trained to discuss options with kin caregivers. Through training classes for both kin caregivers and foster parents, kin caregivers are exposed to the idea of general foster care and can interact with foster parent caregivers.