Best Foster Care Resource for Kinship Caregivers in South Carolina

The best resource for kinship caregivers in South Carolina is one that starts where you actually are: a child has been placed with you — or is about to be placed — and you have days, not months, to understand your options. The South Carolina Foster Care Licensing Guide is the right resource for this situation because it includes a dedicated Kinship Fast-Track Guide written for exactly this scenario, covering provisional licensure, the 90-day window, board payment eligibility, and the waivers that exist only for kinship caregivers.

Generic foster care guides are written for prospective applicants with no placement yet. The SCDSS website publishes the statute but doesn't translate it into steps. The South Carolina Foster Care Licensing Guide bridges both of these gaps with kinship-specific guidance grounded in current South Carolina policy.

What Makes Kinship Care Different in South Carolina

Kinship care in South Carolina is legally distinct from traditional foster care. Under S.C. Code § 63-7-2330, the "Kinship Foster Care Program" operates through a separate regulatory framework that:

• Allows DSS to waive certain non-safety licensing requirements when a kin placement preserves the child's family connections
• Provides for provisional licensure for up to 90 days while full licensing is completed
• Maintains the same board payment rates as traditional foster care once full licensure is obtained
• Enables DSS — not a private CPA — to license the kinship caregiver directly

This last point is critical. While traditional foster parents in South Carolina must go through a private Child Placing Agency (since July 2020), kinship caregivers bypass the CPA system entirely. Your county DSS office is your direct point of contact.

The 90-Day Provisional Window: What It Means and Why It Matters Financially

When DSS places a child with a kinship caregiver on an emergency basis, provisional licensure allows that placement to continue — legally and with basic safety verification — for up to 90 days while the full licensing paperwork is completed.

What happens during provisional licensure:

• DSS conducts a Mutual Home Assessment, a faster version of the home study that verifies basic safety standards
• Background checks are expedited where possible
• The child remains in your care while the full application is processed
• You receive limited or no financial support during provisional placement

What changes once you are fully licensed:

• Monthly board payments begin: $670/month for children ages 0-5, $783/month for ages 6-12, $827/month for ages 13-21 (FY2024-2025 rates, increasing effective July 2025 to $700, $818, and $863 respectively)
• All foster children enrolled in South Carolina Healthy Connections (Medicaid) — zero copay for medical, dental, and therapeutic services
• ABC Child Care Voucher eligibility for working caregivers
• WIC for foster children ages 0-5
• Foster care maintenance payments are generally non-taxable under state and federal law

The financial math is straightforward: every month you remain on provisional licensure rather than fully licensed is a month without board payments. For a grandparent caring for two grandchildren, that can mean $1,340-$1,660/month in board payments that aren't coming in. Understanding the path to full licensure — and moving through it as quickly as possible — is worth real money.

Who This Is For

• Grandparents, aunts, uncles, or adult siblings who have had a grandchild, niece, nephew, or sibling's child placed with them by DSS
• Fictive kin — close family friends or neighbors who have a pre-existing significant relationship with the child and have been recognized by DSS as appropriate kinship placements
• Relatives who were contacted by DSS asking if they could take the child before a non-relative placement is made
• Kinship caregivers currently in provisional licensure who need to complete full licensing within the 90-day window
• Relatives considering stepping forward for a child currently in non-relative foster care

Who This Is NOT For

• Families with no prior relationship to a specific child in the system who want to become traditional foster parents (those families belong on the CPA track)
• Adoptive parents pursuing adoption of a non-relative child through a private agency
• Current licensed traditional foster parents seeking renewal information
• Families in other states pursuing kinship placement across state lines (ICPC cases have a separate process)

The Resource Comparison: What Your Options Actually Look Like

What You Need to Do in the First 72 Hours

If a child has just been placed with you or is about to be:

1. Call your county DSS office and ask specifically for kinship care. Do not use the general intake number — ask to be connected with the kinship licensing coordinator or kinship foster care unit. The general caseworker assigned to the child is different from the person who processes your license.

2. Start background checks immediately. Every adult in your household (18+) needs a SLED criminal check ($25 each, at catch.sled.sc.gov), FBI fingerprinting through IdentoGO ($24.95 each), and a DSS Central Registry check. These take 1-4 weeks minimum. Out-of-state registry checks, required for any adult who has lived outside SC in the past 5 years, can take 4-12 weeks. Starting them on day one is not optional — it's the difference between completing your full license within the 90-day window or missing it.

3. Conduct a home safety walk-through. South Carolina's Mutual Home Assessment will check fire safety (2A:10BC-rated fire extinguisher in kitchen, working smoke detectors in every sleeping area), medication storage (all medications including OTC must be locked), firearm storage (locked, inoperable, ammunition separate), and water heater temperature (120 degrees or below). These are items you can address before the assessor arrives.

4. Gather your documentation. For all adults in the household: birth certificates, Social Security cards, driver's licenses, and marriage/divorce records. For your finances: two years of tax returns and recent pay stubs. For your health: a physician's physical form (Form 1527) from a licensed healthcare provider, including TB test results.

The Waiver Advantage: What Kinship Caregivers Get That Traditional Applicants Don't

DSS has statutory authority under S.C. Code § 63-7-2330 to waive specific licensing requirements for kinship caregivers when the waiver is in the child's best interest. These waivers are not available to traditional CPA-track applicants.

Waivers can apply to:

• Physical space requirements — DSS may accept a bedroom configuration that doesn't meet the standard 80 square feet per single occupant if a child's placement in your home is preferable to non-relative placement
• Some non-safety regulatory requirements when full compliance would create an unreasonable burden on a kin placement that serves the child's stability
• Certain financial documentation requirements if income verification is complicated

What waivers cannot apply to:

• Criminal history disqualifiers under S.C. Code § 63-7-2350
• Sex offender registry findings
• Substantiated findings of child abuse or neglect on the Central Registry
• Core safety standards (fire safety, weapons storage, medications)

Ask your kinship licensing coordinator about specific waivers early. Knowing which requirements are waivable for your situation can change your path significantly.

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm a grandparent and DSS called me last night. What do I do first thing tomorrow?

Call your county DSS office in the morning and ask for the kinship licensing coordinator — not the general caseworker assigned to your grandchild. Those are two different people. The kinship coordinator handles your licensing process. Also begin your SLED background check online at catch.sled.sc.gov before you get off the phone. The background checks are the slowest part of the process and there's no reason to wait a single day to start them.

Will I receive any money while on provisional licensure?

Typically no, or very limited support. Board payments are tied to full licensure status. DSS can sometimes arrange emergency financial assistance in specific circumstances, but the standard provisional placement does not include board payments. This is the financial reason to complete full licensure as quickly as possible.

I lived in another state five years ago. Does that affect my background check timeline?

Yes, significantly. Out-of-state child abuse registry checks must be requested from each state individually and can take 4-12 weeks per state. If you or any adult in your household lived outside South Carolina within the past five years, request those checks on day one. They are the single most common cause of licensing delays.

My grandchild's parent (my child) also lives with me. Does that affect my application?

Yes. Every adult (18+) in your household must pass background clearances. If your child — the parent of the child in placement — lives in your home, their criminal history and Central Registry record are reviewed as part of your application. Certain offenses under S.C. Code § 63-7-2350 are absolute bars that apply to any adult household member, not just the primary applicant.

Does kinship licensure allow me to eventually adopt if reunification fails?

Yes. Licensed kinship caregivers have priority standing when reunification fails and the court terminates parental rights. You are eligible to adopt the child without needing a separate adoption home study if your foster care license is current. Adoption subsidy assistance may also be available if the child meets "Special Needs" criteria — including sibling groups and children over age six.

Is the South Carolina Foster Care Licensing Guide useful if I'm already mid-process?

Yes, particularly the Kinship Fast-Track chapter, the home inspection checklist, and the background check tracker. Even mid-process, knowing which clearances are outstanding, what the inspection will test, and exactly what board rates you're entitled to once you're fully licensed gives you a clearer picture of where you are and what's still ahead.

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