MFGP Hub · Caregiver Guide
If a child moved in with you because their parent is incarcerated, in treatment, or unable to care for them right now, you are a kinship caregiver — whether or not any paperwork says so. This guide explains what kinship care means, what help exists, and the order to ask for it in.
For professionals
Use this guide to walk a relative caregiver through the first three calls: 211, the school foster/homeless liaison, and the state kinship navigator program.
For supporters
Most kinship caregivers are older relatives on fixed incomes. Sharing this guide helps them find benefits and support groups faster.
Kinship care is any arrangement where a relative or close family friend raises a child instead of the child's parents. There are three broad forms, and the form you are in determines what help you can access.
The family arranged it privately — no court, no child welfare agency. Most kinship caregivers are here. You can usually still access food, health, and school supports, but you may need a caregiver affidavit or power of attorney to enroll the child in school or approve medical care.
A court has given you decision-making authority. This makes school, medical, and benefit paperwork far simpler, and it can be arranged without the parent losing their rights permanently. Legal aid offices often help relatives file at low or no cost.
The child is in state custody and placed with you. This is the only form that typically comes with a foster care payment, plus a caseworker, licensing steps, and required visits. Rates and rules vary by state.
I spent years trying to find Anyé the resources she needed, and I kept hitting the same walls. Nobody handed me a list. That is why the MFGP Hub exists — so the next caregiver does not have to start from zero.
Availability and names vary by state. Ask about each by name — many caregivers are never told what they qualify for.
| If you need… | Ask about |
|---|---|
| Monthly money for the child | A child-only TANF grant (sometimes called a non-parent or kinship grant) — based on the child's income, not yours |
| Food | SNAP, WIC for children under five, school breakfast and lunch, and local food pantries through 211 |
| Health coverage | Medicaid or CHIP for the child; eligibility is usually based on the child, not your household income |
| School enrollment | A caregiver affidavit or educational consent form, plus the district's foster/homeless liaison |
| Legal authority | Legal aid, a self-help court center, or a kinship navigator for guardianship or custody forms |
| Childcare | Child Care and Development Fund subsidies and Head Start / Early Head Start |
| Someone to talk to | A kinship caregiver support group through your navigator program, a local nonprofit, or MFGP |
A kinship navigator program is a state-funded or state-contracted service that helps relatives raising children find benefits, legal help, and support groups. Navigators know the local rules, can tell you what you qualify for, and often help fill out forms. Search your state's name plus 'kinship navigator,' or call 211.
Often yes. The most common option is a child-only TANF grant, which considers the child's income rather than the grandparent's. Relatives who are licensed foster parents receive a foster care payment instead. Medicaid or CHIP, SNAP, WIC, childcare subsidies, and school meal programs may also apply. Amounts and rules vary by state, so ask your kinship navigator or 211 for local figures.
Usually not. Federal and state rules generally require schools to enroll a child who is living with you, and most states accept a caregiver affidavit or educational consent form. If a school pushes back, ask for the district's foster care or homeless liaison, who handles exactly these situations.
Asking about benefits like SNAP, Medicaid, or a child-only TANF grant is a benefits process, not a child-welfare investigation. If a child welfare case is already open, the caseworker is the person to ask about placement decisions. When you are unsure, a kinship navigator or legal aid attorney can explain what a specific application does and does not trigger.
What a caregiver authorization affidavit does, what it does not do, how relatives use it to enroll a child in school and approve routine medical care, and how the form is named state by state.
Read →What a kinship navigator program does, how to find your state's program, exactly what to ask for on the first call, and what to do when the program has a waitlist or does not exist near you.
Read →How to prepare a child for visiting an incarcerated parent: getting approved, typical visitation dress codes and rules, what to bring, and how to handle the ride home.
Read →