4.7.3 Kinship Care Subsidy Program (KCSP) Payments

KCSP provides cash assistance of $450 per month for each eligible child who resides with a qualified relative other than a parent. The child must live in the home of one of the following qualified relatives (either biological or adoptive): grandfather or grandmother (extends to great-great-great), brother or sister (including half), uncle or aunt (extends to great-great), stepfather, stepmother, stepbrother, stepsister, first cousin, including first cousin once removed, and nephew or niece (extends to great-great), or the legal spouse of the above-listed relatives. The qualified relative must possess or obtain within 1 year of certification, either legal custody or guardianship or provisional custody by mandate of the eligible child who is living in the home. The State reserves the right to pursue child support against the parent(s), and this may be of some concern to a grandparent. The kinship program can substantially improve the economic welfare of the family. The availability of kinship payments put an even higher priority on legal custody for non-parent caretakers of neglected children.1

Disclaimer: The articles in the Gillis Long Desk Manual do not contain any legal advice.