HHS Announces New Proposed Foster
Family Licensing Regulation to Help Expand Access to Kinship
Caregiving
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[April 04, 2023]
The
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the
Administration for Children and Families (ACF), announced a new
proposed regulation to lessen obstacles in licensing standards for
kinship foster caregivers. This proposed rule aligns with President
Biden’s priorities on providing necessary resources to keep families
together and support kinship care.
“The Biden-Harris Administration continues to prioritize keeping
families safely together, including removing barriers for child
welfare agencies to license grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other
relatives and kin who step up to foster children during challenging
times,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “As this new proposed
regulation gives states and tribes the ability to adopt separate
licensing standards for relatives and other kin, we encourage
agencies to place as few burdens as possible on kin, consistent with
the safety and well-being of the child.”
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Currently, all foster family homes must meet the same
licensing standards, regardless of whether the foster family home is
a kin or non-kin placement. This updated regulation allows a child
welfare agency to adopt different licensing standards for all kin
foster family homes to lessen delays in the kinship foster family
licensing process. Kin can include individuals related to a child by
blood, marriage, or adoption and other individuals who have an
emotionally significant relationship with the child, such as
godparents, and close family friends.
ACF’s Children’s Bureau encourages child welfare agencies to
strongly consider developing standards for kin foster family homes
that meet only the federal requirements and not additional standards
the state, local, or tribal agency may require non-relative foster
family homes to meet. These standards may include extending the age
limits for kinship foster care providers to allow for older kin to
foster a child or allowing kin children to share sleeping spaces.
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“Across the United States,
millions of children live with kin caregivers–aunts, uncles,
grandparents, and other loved ones who stand in when parents are
unable to safely care for their children. We know that children
do better when they’re with their families,” said ACF Assistant
Secretary January Contreras. “Placing children with kin allows
them to maintain a sense of place and belonging and to maintain
their cultural identity and connection to their own community.
By allowing child welfare agencies to approve different
licensing standards that recognize the needs and benefits of kin
caregivers, more family members would be eligible to be licensed
and receive financial resources to support the child’s
well-being.”
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Feb/16/images/ads/current/debbiesfloral_lda_021023.png)
Encouraging and helping family and kin caregivers
become licensed foster caregivers is beneficial to both the child
and the foster care relatives. Research shows that children living
with family experience higher stability and fewer behavioral
problems compared to children living with non-relatives in foster
care, in addition to maintaining familial and cultural bonds. ACF
believes that child welfare agencies can develop different foster
family home licensing or approval standards for kin in a manner that
does not compromise child safety and well-being. This regulation
also does not change the requirements concerning criminal background
checks or other important safety provisions.
ACF continues to emphasize prevention and kinship services provided
in the community. Providing necessary support and resources to
families has a proven track record for keeping families together.
ACF encourages child welfare agencies to pursue options that keep
families together and maintain family connections, including kinship
care. In keeping with its overall mission, ACF is committed to
seeking equitable outcomes for the children, youth, and families it
serves.
[U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services] |