This brief explores how states are approaching kinship care by examining states’ definitions of kinship caregivers, the prevalence of children in foster care living with relatives or kin, states’ adoption of separate licensing standards for kinship homes, and states’ participation in kinship navigator programs through the Title IV-E Prevention Services Clearinghouse. Key findings include:
- Kinship care – care by a relative or another adult with a close relationship with the child – is associated with many positive outcomes for children who cannot safely remain in their homes, making it often the recommended option for such children.
- Across states, there is variation in the degree of specificity in how kinship caregivers are defined, with some states having more narrow definitions of a “relative.” All states (except Alabama) and DC include fictive kin – those with an emotionally significant relationship with the child or child’s parent – as eligible kinship caregivers.
- In Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), most children in foster care lived in non-kinship settings. 39% lived with relatives or kin.
- Among children in foster care in FY24, the percentage living with relatives or kin varied widely by state – with a range from 11% to 57%.
- 44% of children in foster care living with relatives or kin were living in an unlicensed home. Kinship care does not require licensure, but without a license it is difficult for kin to access funding and support intended to help families provide care.
- Over the past few years, more states and Tribes have submitted amendments to their Title IV-E plans to adopt separate licensing standards for kinship homes, and a few have signaled that they are taking steps to do so – but as of February 2026, only 24 eligible jurisdictions (19 states and five Tribes) have submitted amendments to the Children’s Bureau, meaning nearly two-thirds of eligible jurisdictions have not yet adopted separate standards.
Navigator programs help kinship caregivers connect to resources. As of January 2026, less than 20% of jurisdictions (11 states and one territory) have formally approved plans to operate a kinship navigator program(s) – this is less than half of the number of jurisdictions (42%) that had approved plans in FY20 (28 jurisdictions) under temporary flexibilities available during the COVID-19 public health emergency that have since expired.
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