For generations, extended families have played significant roles in rearing children when parents are having a difficult time. Relatives and other people with whom the child or family has a significant relationship can often provide children with stability when they can't live with their birth parents. This is called Kinship Care by Child Protective Services (CPS).

Kinship Care provides:

• children with love and care in a familiar setting;
• parents with a sense of hope that children will remain connected to their birth families;
• a place for children to live with people they know and trust;
• reinforcement of children's sense of cultural identity and positive self-esteem;
• a means for children to make and sustain extended family connections;
• continuation of lifelong family traditions and memories;
• support for the child in building healthy relationships within the family;
• support for the child's need for safety and well-being; and
  a sense of stability in the life of a child.

Caregivers who qualify may receive a monthly reimbursement of $12.67 per day per child for up to 12 months.

Caregivers who obtain permanent managing conservatorship (PMC)  may request a $500 annual reimbursement per child for up to three years.

Click here for the Kinship Manual in English.