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Kinship Caregiving

You're raising a child who isn't yours: a grandchild, niece, nephew, or younger sibling. Maybe their parents can't care for them because of substance use, incarceration, illness, or death. It may have happened suddenly, or so gradually that you didn't notice you'd become the primary caregiver until it was already true.

This is kinship caregiving, and you're not alone. About 2.5 million children are raised this way in the United States, often by caregivers who stepped in without warning and are managing on fixed incomes. When you get the right legal backing, financial support, and emotional resources, children in these families can thrive.

What makes kinship caregiving different

You may not have legal authority. Without formal custody or guardianship, you may have trouble enrolling the child in school, consenting to medical treatment, or adding them to your insurance. Some states let relatives handle school enrollment or medical consent with a signed affidavit. Getting legal authority costs money, takes time, and may require going through the family court system.

The financial pressure is immediate. Children need food, clothing, school supplies, and medical care now, before a months-long benefits application comes through. The sudden expense of raising a child can disrupt retirement savings and financial stability.

The emotional and physical toll is real. Kinship caregiving can bring chronic stress, depression, and physical health challenges. The child may be grieving, angry, or confused about their situation. Your relationship with the child's parent may be strained, broken, or nonexistent.

The system wasn't designed for you. Foster care has infrastructure: stipends, case workers, and training. Kinship caregivers often fall outside that system. You're doing the same work with fewer resources and less support.

First steps

This is the highest priority. Without it, you're limited in what you can do for the child.

  • Kinship care agreement: Some states allow an informal agreement with the parent granting temporary authority. Low-cost, fast, but limited.
  • Power of attorney: The parent grants you authority to make decisions. Relatively simple, can be revoked.
  • Legal guardianship: Court-ordered. More permanent, gives you full decision-making authority. Costs vary by state. Court filing fees are often a few hundred dollars, and attorney fees add more, especially if the case is contested.
  • Formal adoption: Most permanent option. Terminates the parent's rights. Significant legal process.

Contact your local Legal Aid office or Area Agency on Aging (1-800-677-1116) for free legal guidance specific to your state.

Apply for financial support

You may qualify for:

  • TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families): Cash assistance for the child. In most states, you can apply for a "child-only" TANF grant without your own income being counted.
  • SNAP (food stamps): The child can be added to your household for food assistance.
  • Medicaid / CHIP: Health coverage for the child, regardless of your income in most states.
  • Kinship Navigator Programs: Federally funded programs (via Family First Prevention Services Act) that help kinship caregivers find and access services. Available in most states.
  • Social Security benefits: If the child's parent is deceased, disabled, or retired, the child may be eligible for survivor or dependent benefits.
  • National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP): Specifically serves grandparents and older relatives raising children. Provides respite, counseling, supplemental services, and information.

Find peer support

  • Generations United (gu.org): National organization focused on grandfamilies. Policy advocacy, state-by-state resources, and support networks.
  • AARP GrandFamilies: Resources, legal guides, and state-specific benefit information for grandparents raising grandchildren.
  • Kinship care support groups: Many communities have local groups. Start with your Area Agency on Aging (1-800-677-1116) or search through NFCSP.

If you need help now

Eldercare Locator: 1-800-677-1116. Connects you to local services for older adults and families, including Area Agency on Aging programs such as NFCSP.

Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-4-A-Child (422-4453). 24/7, if the child has experienced abuse or neglect.