Kinship Care Nevada

You just got the call. A child welfare worker tells you that a child you care about has been removed from their home and asks if you can take them in. Everything else in your life stops. This is how most kinship caregivers in Nevada enter the system — not after months of planning, but within hours of a crisis.

Understanding how kinship licensing works in Nevada is not optional if you want to keep that child out of a stranger's home and get the financial support you need to care for them properly.

Who Qualifies as a Kinship Caregiver in Nevada

Nevada recognizes two types of kinship placements:

Relative caregiver: A grandparent, aunt, uncle, sibling, or other person related to the child by blood, marriage, or adoption. Blood relationship does not have to be close — cousins and step-relatives qualify.

Fictive kin: A person who has no biological connection to the child but has a significant, established emotional bond. This includes a close family friend the child has grown up calling "aunt," a godparent, a neighbor who has been part of the child's daily life, or a coach or mentor. The key requirement is that the relationship predates the child's removal from their biological home and that the child has an existing bond with this person.

NRS 432B.550 explicitly includes fictive kin in the Nevada kinship care framework.

Emergency Placement: How It Works

When a child is removed and a relative or fictive kin is identified, Nevada can authorize an emergency placement before full licensing is complete. The process works like this:

1. The agency runs a name-based (not fingerprint-based) background check — results come back within hours, not weeks.
2. A licensing worker visits the home within 24-72 hours to confirm basic safety standards are met.
3. If both checks are clear, the child can be placed in your home that same day.

This emergency placement does not come with full foster care maintenance payments. You may receive a basic emergency subsidy or a "child-only" TANF grant at this stage, which is significantly lower than the licensed rate.

The reason to pursue full licensure immediately: a fully licensed kinship home in Nevada receives the same Title IV-E maintenance payments as any licensed non-relative foster home — approximately $858-$971 per month per child depending on age. An unlicensed kinship home may receive only a child-only TANF grant, which is substantially less. The financial gap is real and the path to closing it is licensing.

How to Become a Licensed Kinship Caregiver in Nevada

The licensing requirements for kinship caregivers are the same as for non-relative foster parents, with a few practical accommodations:

Background check: All adults in the household (18+) must complete both a state criminal history check and an FBI fingerprint-based national check. The Nevada Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry (CANS) is also searched. Disqualifying offenses are the same as for non-relative applicants — felony child abuse, crimes against children, violent felonies, and drug felonies within the past five years.

Training: Nevada requires completion of pre-service training. Clark County uses a PRIDE/MAPP hybrid of 24-30 hours. Washoe County requires 18-24 hours of trauma-informed care training. Rural DCFS follows a 24-30 hour PRIDE curriculum. Kinship caregivers in emergency placements are often allowed to begin the child's care while completing training concurrently — ask your worker about this option specifically.

Home study: A licensing worker will conduct individual and joint interviews, review your financial stability, inspect your home for NAC 424 safety standards (smoke detectors, sleeping space, pool fencing if applicable), and contact your references.

Timeline: Full kinship licensure typically takes 90-180 days from the initial application. The process is the same length as non-relative licensing, but caseworkers can often prioritize kinship cases when a child is already in emergency placement in the home.

Kinship Care Stipend Rates

Once licensed, kinship foster homes receive the same maintenance payments as non-relative homes:

• $28.21/day ($858/month) for children ages 0-12
• $31.94/day ($971/month) for children ages 13-18
• Supplemental rates for children with special medical or behavioral needs
• Initial clothing allowance: $300 (under 12) or $400 (12+)
• Annual clothing replacement allowance: $200-$300
• Nevada Medicaid coverage for all medical, dental, vision, and mental health care

The Key Resource: Foster Kinship

Foster Kinship (fosterkinship.org) is a Nevada-specific nonprofit that specializes in supporting relative and fictive kin caregivers. They are not a state agency but work directly with Clark County DFS and the rural DCFS system. Their services include:

• A "Kinship Care Roadmap" — a step-by-step guide specific to Nevada's process
• Help accessing child-only TANF grants for unlicensed caregivers
• Emergency supply assistance (car seats, cribs, diapers for caregivers who take children on short notice)
• Legal information about the licensing process
• Ongoing case navigation as the child moves through the court process

If you are navigating a kinship placement, contacting Foster Kinship alongside your county agency is one of the most practical steps you can take.

What Kinship Caregivers Often Don't Know

The most common financial mistake kinship caregivers make is staying unlicensed because the process feels overwhelming while they are also caring for a child in crisis. Getting licensed — even if it takes three to six months — unlocks the full maintenance payment retroactively in some circumstances and ensures ongoing support.

The second common gap: kinship caregivers are entitled to the same respite care as non-relative foster families. You can request up to 14 days per fiscal year of respite through your assigned agency, giving you a short break while the child is cared for by another licensed provider.

The Nevada Foster Care Licensing Guide includes a dedicated section on kinship licensing, with the specific documentation checklist, training schedule options, and the financial comparison between unlicensed TANF and licensed maintenance payments.

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