Kinship Care in Connecticut: What Relatives Need to Know

When a child is removed from their parents' home by DCF, the agency's first priority is to place them with a family member. This is kinship care, and it happens quickly — often within hours of a removal. If you've gotten a call about a niece, nephew, grandchild, or a child you're close to, you're probably scrambling to understand what you're agreeing to and what DCF will require of you.

Here is what actually happens.

What Connecticut Law Says

Connecticut General Statutes §17a-114 establishes that relatives of a child in DCF custody can receive emergency placement approval before completing the full licensing process. The law recognizes that it would be counterproductive to delay a placement with a relative simply because the formal paperwork takes months.

For the purposes of Connecticut kinship care, a "relative" includes blood relatives, relatives by marriage, relatives by adoption, and — importantly — "fictive kin." Fictive kin are individuals who have a significant relationship with the child but are not legally related. Recent legislative changes (2022–2025) have expanded the rights and access to support for fictive kin caregivers.

Emergency Approval vs. Full Licensing

When DCF places a child with a relative on an emergency basis, that placement typically comes with an emergency approval period of 45 to 90 days. During this window, you are caring for the child legally, but you have not yet gone through the full licensing process.

During the emergency period, DCF will begin the licensing process. You will need to complete:

• A criminal background check and DCF central registry check for all household members 16 and older
• A home safety inspection
• The TIPS-MAPP pre-service training (10 sessions, 30 hours)
• A full home study

The difference between kinship licensing and general foster care licensing is primarily speed and priority. DCF is motivated to complete kinship licensing efficiently because the child is already in your home. However, the requirements themselves are not reduced. You must still meet all the same safety and background standards as a non-relative foster family.

What DCF Will Look at First

When the placement coordinator contacts you about an emergency kinship placement, they will ask a few questions immediately:

• Is there enough space in your home for the child?
• Are there any adults in the household with a known criminal history?
• Is there any prior DCF involvement with your household?

If there are no immediate red flags, the emergency placement proceeds, and the licensing process begins. The urgency works in your favor in some ways — you typically get more active outreach from your licensing worker than a general foster family might receive.

Common Requirements Kinship Families Struggle With

Several specific requirements catch kinship families off guard:

Background checks for all household members. If you have an adult child living in your home, a partner, or a boarder, every adult must clear a background check. If someone in your household has a criminal history, even an old non-violent offense, it will need to be reviewed. In some cases, DCF can grant a variance for non-disqualifying offenses — particularly for kinship placements where the placement is clearly in the child's best interest — but this is assessed case by case.

Bedroom requirements. The child must have their own bed. In a small apartment, this can be a genuine constraint. Children of the same sex and similar age may share a room, but they cannot share a bed. The bedroom must also have adequate egress.

The TIPS-MAPP training timeline. 10 sessions over 10 weeks does not align neatly with an emergency placement that happened last Tuesday. DCF understands this. The emergency period gives you time to complete training while the child is already in your care. But you should contact DCF immediately to find the next available TIPS-MAPP cohort and register before all spots fill.

Kinship Care Payments

Relative caregivers who are fully licensed receive the same monthly board rates as non-relative foster parents — currently approximately $818 to $899 per month depending on the child's age, with higher rates for children with elevated needs. These payments are not taxable.

During the emergency approval period, kinship families may receive limited financial support through DCF, but full board rate payments typically begin once the license is issued. Talk to your licensing worker explicitly about what financial support is available during the emergency period — this is one area where families often don't ask the right questions early enough.

Children placed with relative caregivers are covered by HUSKY Health (Connecticut Medicaid) for medical, dental, vision, and mental health services, regardless of the family's licensing status.

Your Rights as a Kinship Caregiver

Connecticut law gives kinship foster parents the same rights as non-relative licensed foster parents, including:

• The right to be heard at court hearings regarding the child
• The right to receive information about the child's history and medical needs
• The right to 14 days' notice before the child is removed, unless there is an immediate safety concern
• The right to be treated with respect and to receive support from DCF

In practice, kinship caregivers sometimes find they receive less proactive support than they expected, simply because DCF caseloads are high. Being aware of your rights — and willing to ask for the support you're entitled to — matters.

Kinship vs. Reunification

Connecticut's child welfare system operates on a concurrent planning model. While DCF works toward reunification with the birth parents, it simultaneously plans for permanent placement if reunification fails. As a kinship caregiver, you occupy a complicated position: you may be caring for a child whose parents you also love and want to support.

DCF expects kinship caregivers to support the child's relationship with their birth parents, including facilitating regular visitation. This is not always easy, especially when the circumstances that led to removal involved family members you are close to. Being honest with your DCF worker about the family dynamics — including any conflict or safety concerns — is important and protected.

If you've been placed in an emergency kinship situation, the timeline to get fully licensed is your most pressing concern. The Connecticut Foster Care Licensing Guide includes a step-by-step kinship licensing roadmap, background check guidance, and a home inspection checklist designed specifically for the compressed timeline that kinship families face.

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