{"id":37455,"date":"2026-05-19T16:05:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T16:05:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/caseyfamilyv2.wpengine.com\/?p=37455"},"modified":"2026-08-06T18:13:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T18:13:20","slug":"estudio-de-hogar-para-licencia-por-parentesco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casey.org\/es\/homestudy-licensure-kinship\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bfC\u00f3mo se han simplificado los requisitos de estudio en el hogar y de licencia para los cuidadores familiares?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When children cannot remain safely in their homes, placing them with kin not only minimizes the trauma of removal and separation, but increases their likelihood of remaining connected to siblings, families of origin, and community, which improves their overall well-being. When compared to children in non-relative foster care, children in kinship care<\/a> have been found to experience fewer behavioral and mental health challenges, lower rates of recurrent maltreatment, and less placement disruption. In federal fiscal year 2024, the most recent for which national data are available, about 40% of children were placed with kin<\/a>. Although the number of kinship placements have increased in recent years, it continues to vary widely by state.<\/p>\n

Kinship care\u00a0is defined as the full-time care, nurturing, teaching, and protection of children by kin. Kin are defined as relatives by blood, marriage, or adoption \u2014 as well as any adult who has a bond that the child or family recognizes as significant. These chosen family, sometimes referred to as fictive kin,\u00a0may include members of Tribes or native clans, stepparents, godparents, or trusted family friends.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Resources to advance kinship placements<\/h3>\n

Kin-Specific Foster Home Approval: Recommended Standards of National Organizations<\/em><\/a> includes implementation guidance, templates, and examples, and a downloadable crosswalk checklist.<\/p>\n

Kin-Specific Licensing Progress and Documents<\/em><\/a> provides at-a-glance information, updated periodically, about state progress toward approved implementation plans for kin-specific licensing. Clicking on the jurisdictions on the interactive map with approved plans will allow users to view kin-specific licensing policies, procedures, and resources.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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States are increasing their reliance on placing children with kin, according to an analysis<\/a> by The Annie E. Casey Foundation and Child Trends, yet there still remains an urgent need for improvement to address inequities in the assistance and services available to kin when compared to other types of caregivers.\u00a0If child well-being truly is a priority, increasing kinship placement is essential. Prioritizing kinship placements starts with child protection agencies establishing a kin-first philosophy<\/a>, underscored in written policies and reflected in all aspects of practice. A kin-first culture means a child\u2019s first \u2014 and hopefully only \u2014 placement is with kin. It also means prioritizing the licensing of kinship caregivers whenever possible and providing them with the supports, such as kinship navigators<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Kinship caregivers face unique challenges, and often there is a significant disparity between the resources provided to traditional foster parents and what kinship caregivers receive, which decreases both the availability of kinship families and their ability to safely and successfully raise the children in their care.1<\/sup><\/a> Federal regulations<\/a>, in effect since November 27, 2023, now allow states to simplify the process for kinship caregivers to become licensed or approved foster care providers<\/strong>. They also require that states provide licensed or approved kinship caregivers the same levels of financial support that a traditional foster family would receive. Adopting simplified licensing requirements for kinship caregivers has the potential to significantly increase the services and financial resources available to families.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Kinship caregivers need access to the right resources to help their kids through their trauma. No matter what, just removing children is a trauma, on top of any adverse childhood experiences they bring with them. Training and support are essential to the long-term success of the placement.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

— Susan Langenfield, Resource and Adoptive Caregiver, New York<\/cite><\/figcaption>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n
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Barriers to kinship care<\/h2>\n

Kinship caregivers experience significantly more barriers<\/a>\u00a0than traditional foster parents. Caregivers who elect to participate in non-kin foster care have the advantage of months or years of planning before a child is placed in their care. Kinship caregivers, however, often step into their role in emergency situations, without adequate time to prepare for a child\u2019s arrival. Caring for a relative child often means taking on unanticipated expenses, which can create new financial challenges or exacerbate existing ones. This is particularly true for grandparents, who are more likely to be on a fixed income. One study<\/a> found that of the more than 2.5 million grandparents formally and informally caring for their grandchildren in the U.S., 25% had a disability and 20% lived in poverty. Regardless of their willingness, many relatives cannot financially afford to care for their kin who are in the child welfare system without support<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Adding even one child to your home unexpectedly can rock your world. We must help kinship parents acknowledge it\u2019s OK to be stressed out, it\u2019s OK to feel overwhelmed. They need support, not just financially, but with their mental health as well.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

— Melissa Zimmerman, Birth Parent, Arizona<\/cite><\/figcaption>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n
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For states to receive federal Title IV-E reimbursement for foster care payments, caregivers must be licensed or approved. State laws require that all non-relative foster caregivers be licensed, but only 20 states and the District of Columbia require kinship caregivers to be licensed<\/a>. States can elect to use local funds to make foster care payments to non-licensed kinship caregivers, but whether and how much to pay them is at the state\u2019s discretion. Consequently, state licensing policies can affect dramatically the financial resources relatives have available to care for children.<\/p>\n

Non-licensed relatives who rely on financial assistance from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) typically receive less than half of the monthly support that licensed foster caregivers receive.2<\/sup><\/a> Lower foster care payments for kinship caregivers could negatively affect the stability of such placements<\/a>. A survey<\/a> of states\u2019 early implementation of the Guardianship Assistance Program (GAP) showed that in one state, when GAP payments were increased to levels more equitable with foster care maintenance payments, the number of children placed with kin guardians increased. Non-licensed kinship caregivers, however, are not eligible to participate in Guardianship Assistance Programs.<\/p>\n

A home study, which is mandatory before an out-of-home placement is granted, is a comprehensive evaluation that includes a safety inspection, financial review, background check, and interview. Historically, the home study requirement has presented challenges for many kinship caregivers seeking licensure. Traditional home study requirements vary by state<\/a>, but they typically include minimum standards such as \u201cthe home needs to be clean and in good repair\u201d and \u201cthere have to be enough bedrooms\u201d to sufficiently accommodate each child\u2019s safety, privacy, and comfort. The suddenness of a kinship placement and limited financial resources may create barriers for some kinship families to meet certain home study standards. The majority of these barriers are not related to safety, however. One research study noted that a lack of adequate space was a barrier for some relatives when the child protection agency required that each child has an individual bedroom.3<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

A lack of communication between child welfare staff and relatives about the home study process is another common barrier. Licensure options<\/a> often are not well explained, and potential kinship caregivers may not know to ask for the additional supports that come with licensure. Failing the home study due to strict licensing standards and inadequate information places relatives at a disadvantage and reduces the positive effects associated with kinship care for children.<\/p>\n

Kin-first home study and licensure practices<\/h2>\n

Fortunately, states have significant latitude in determining their foster care licensing standards. As long as licensing standards are consistent with nationally recognized safety and well-being standards (for example, child safety and sanitation recommendations), the federal government does not require states to adhere to any particular guidelines. In addition, federal regulation<\/a> now allows and encourages states to create separate licensing or approval standards for kinship foster family homes. Implementing this new regulation will make it easier for kin-first agencies to honor their commitment to license families whenever possible, rather than be forced to rule them out.4<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

The regulation gives states discretion in defining relatives and\/or kin<\/a> for the purposes of the Title IV-E program.5<\/sup><\/a> The rule also encourages states to limit their standards only to federal requirements, including a safety-related background check, and align with \u201crecommended standards of national organizations.\u201d<\/p>\n

States are allowed to vary significantly the licensing and home study standards for kinship caregivers versus traditional foster families. A study examining the effects of foster care licensing standards on kinship caregivers in the U.S. highlights a number of standards that are non-safety related and states could waive to facilitate more timely licensure. These include owning a vehicle, paying for outside health and safety inspections, sleeping arrangements, and proximate location to certain facilities.6<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Many kinship caregivers have past records that can, unfortunately, prevent them from being licensed to care for their grandchildren. While safety is important, it is also necessary to recognize that people can grow and change\u2014who they are in their 20s is not the same as who they are in their 60s.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

— Molly Clore, Resource Caregiver, Florida<\/cite><\/figcaption>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n
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Strategies for expediting kinship care approval<\/h2>\n

A number of child welfare jurisdictions<\/a> already have begun implementing changes to their licensing and approval process for kinship caregivers in response to the federal rules, which conceivably allow for most or even all kinship caregivers to be approved within a single day \u2014 if more attention can be given to fingerprinting practices and processes for evaluating background checks.7<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n

Timely fingerprinting is one of the most significant barriers to getting kinship caregivers licensed quickly. Some agencies are employing the following strategies to address the lag:<\/p>\n