The following list contains examples of state-specific resource guides, released within the past five years, for kinship families and those who serve them. These types of written resources can be very helpful to help explain the various legal options available to kin caregivers. They are most useful when they are state-specific, as laws and policies impacting these families vary greatly around the country.
Please note that the following resource guides have not been evaluated by the Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network or Generations United and are provided as examples to others interested in creating similar guides in their communities. The list is being updated as more resource guides come to our attention. If you have a guide you’d like to share, please email it to us at info@gksnetwork.org.
Guides by State/Territory
Arizona
- Kinship Foster Care – Relatives Caring for Children in DCS Custody, Arizona Department of Child Safety (specific to child welfare involvement), Revised June 2022
- The “Go-To Guide”, A Guide for Foster and Kinship Caregivers, Arizona Department of Child Safety (this guide is for children with child welfare involvement and includes information for both formal kin caregivers and foster parents), Revised June 2022
California
- Handbook for Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and Other Relative Caregivers in San Diego County, Revised 2023
Colorado
- Navigating Kinship Care: A Resource Guide for Kinship Families in Colorado, Revised December 2020
DC-Metro Area
- A Resource Guide for Relatives Raising D.C. Children: Helping You Find the Best Path Forward, DC KinCare Alliance, 2024
Indiana
- Relative Resource Guide, Indiana Department of Child Services (specific to child welfare involvement), 2018
Kentucky
- A Kentucky Grandparent and Relative Caregiver Handbook, Kinship Families Coalition of Kentucky, 2023
Maine
- Maine Kinship Family Resource Guide, Adoptive & Foster Families of Maine, Inc, 2021
- A Guide to Kinship Care & Minor Guardianship in Maine, A guide in collaboration between the University of Maine School of Law Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic and the Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project, June 2022
New Hampshire
- A Resource Guide for New Hampshire’s Relative Caregivers, New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services – Division for Children, Youth and Families, December 2020
New Mexico
- Kinship Caregivers’ Legal Guide, New Mexico Legal Aid, Inc., Revised August 2022
New York
- Kinship Navigator 2018 Guide to New York State Kinship Law, New York State Kinship Navigator and Catholic Family Center, 2018
- Know Your Permanency Options: The Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program (KinGAP), New York State Office of Children and Family Services, Revised February 2021
North Carolina
- Know Your Options, A Resource Guide for Relatives Caring for Children in Foster Care, Developed by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services in partnership with the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, revised June 2020
Ohio
- Ohio Resource Guide for Relatives Caring for Children, Department of Job and Family Services, Revised June 2023
Oklahoma
- Starting Points for Grandparents and other Relatives Raising Children, Oklahoma Human Services, Revised May 2019
South Carolina
- Stepping In: A Guide for Kinship Caregivers in South Carolina, South Carolina Department of Social Services, March 2020
Tennessee
- Guide to Full Disclosure of Permanency Options, Tennessee Department of Family and Children’s Services – Office of Child Permanency, March 2023
Texas
- Texas Kincare Primer, on behalf of the Texas Kincare Taskforce, with the assistance of members of the Taskforce and the Texas State Relatives as Parents Program, Revised May 2023
- Kinship Manual, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services
Vermont
- Kinship Caregivers Guide: A guide for adults who are caring for the children of relatives or family friends, Agency of Human Services- Department for Children & Families, 2019
Virginia
- Taking Care of a Grandchild: Virginia Resource Guide, Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS)
Washington
- Options for Grandparents and Other Nonparental Caregivers: A Legal Guide for Washington State, Legal Voice, Revised September 2022
