US: States shift toward kin-first foster care
Stateline – May 24, 2024
Some states now encourage social workers to look first toward kinship caregivers when placing children. Many pay small stipends to those caregivers or allow them to become licensed foster parents. And later this year, Michigan will become the first state to take another, much-watched step toward making it easier for relatives to become foster parents. Under a new federal rule, the state will institute a separate, faster route for kinship caregivers to become licensed foster parents — streamlining paperwork and easing certain housing requirements — so they are recognized and paid for their work.