Kinship Care in North Dakota: Licensing, Payments, and Relative Placement

When a child can't safely remain with their parents, the state's first preference is keeping them with family. In North Dakota, that means the grandparent, aunt, uncle, sibling, or close family friend who gets the call is often navigating an emergency placement at the same time they're trying to understand a licensing system they never expected to need.

If you're in that position — or if you're a relative wanting to understand the process before a crisis happens — here's how kinship care licensing works in North Dakota, what financial support is available, and what the path looks like from informal placement to official licensure.

What "Kinship Care" Means Under North Dakota Law

North Dakota uses the term "Identified Relative" to describe a family member or fictive kin who is being considered or licensed to care for a specific child. The definition is broader than blood relatives:

• Grandparents
• Siblings (adult siblings of the child)
• Aunts and uncles
• First cousins
• "Fictive kin" — people with a significant preexisting relationship with the child, such as a godparent, a close family friend, or a neighbor the child has lived with

The key distinction between kinship care and standard foster care is that a kinship license is child-specific. You're approved to care for that child — and only that child, unless you go through full standard licensure. If you want to also accept unrelated foster placements, you'll need to complete the full licensing process.

Emergency Kinship Placement: The First 72 Hours

When a child is removed from a home in a crisis, the state's priority is placing them with a relative before going to an unrelated foster family. A case manager will typically contact known relatives within the first 24 to 72 hours. If you say yes, a child may be placed with you before any formal licensing has occurred.

This is legal, but it's temporary. North Dakota law allows for an informal kinship placement to begin while licensing is underway. However, to receive state maintenance payments — and to protect your legal standing in any court proceedings about the child — you need to become a licensed Identified Relative foster parent.

The clock matters here. Kinship families who move quickly through the licensing process are in a stronger position: they receive financial support sooner, they have formal legal status as the child's placement, and they're less likely to have the child moved to a stranger placement while the case unfolds.

The Kinship Licensing Process

The Identified Relative licensing process is similar to standard foster care licensing but includes specific accommodations designed to speed placement for relatives.

Background checks still apply. Every adult in the household must complete the same five-part background investigation required for unrelated foster parents — FBI fingerprinting, North Dakota BCI criminal history, child abuse registry, sex offender registry, and interstate checks if applicable. There is no kinship exemption from criminal background requirements.

The home study still happens. A CFS Licensing Specialist will conduct a home study, which includes a physical inspection of the home, interviews with household members, and a review of your financial situation. For kinship cases, the specialist understands that urgency is often involved and will typically prioritize the timeline.

The Relative Waiver (SFN 844). This is the most important kinship-specific tool. North Dakota can waive certain non-safety licensing standards for relative placements — things like specific age minimums (kinship caregivers can be licensed at 18 rather than the standard 21, in specific circumstances), minor bedroom dimension variances, or other technical requirements that don't involve direct child safety. The waiver cannot override safety requirements like background checks, fire safety standards, or abuse and neglect registry checks.

PRIDE training. Rather than the full 27-hour PRIDE course required for standard licensure, kinship caregivers have access to Abbreviated PRIDE — a three-hour condensed version that covers the essentials for a relative placement. Abbreviated PRIDE is not sufficient for a standard license, but it satisfies the pre-service training requirement for an Identified Relative license. If you later decide to pursue full licensure for unrelated placements, you'll need to complete the full PRIDE sequence.

Can Grandparents Get Foster Care Payments in North Dakota?

Yes — but only if they are licensed. An unlicensed relative caring for a child does not receive state maintenance payments, regardless of how long the placement continues or how formal the arrangement feels.

A licensed Identified Relative foster parent receives the same daily maintenance rates as any other licensed foster family:

These rates are effective as of July 2025. Foster children in licensed placements are also covered by ND Medicaid, which pays for medical, dental, and mental health services directly.

The licensing step is what converts an informal family arrangement into a state-supported placement. Grandparents who are caring for a grandchild without a license are often paying out of pocket for expenses the state would cover if they took the licensing step. The licensing process is designed to accommodate the urgency that kinship placements involve.

Your Standing in Court Proceedings

One of the most important reasons to become a licensed relative caregiver — beyond the financial support — is your legal standing in court proceedings about the child.

Under NDCC 27-20.3 and state foster care policy, licensed foster parents have the right to receive notice of and be heard in any court proceeding regarding the child in their care. Unlicensed relatives have a weaker standing. In cases where reunification is being considered, or where the child's permanency plan is being debated, being a licensed caregiver gives you a formal voice.

For grandparents or relatives who are hoping to eventually adopt the child, the path typically runs through licensed kinship foster care. The 2025 North Dakota legislature (House Bill 1120) made it easier for licensed foster parents to adopt by establishing a "presumed suitable" status for any foster parent who has been continuously licensed for more than one year — reducing the adoption home study burden for families who want to formalize what's already working.

The Tribal Kinship Dimension

If the child is a member of one of North Dakota's five tribal nations — Spirit Lake, Standing Rock, Turtle Mountain, the Three Affiliated Tribes (MHA Nation), or the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate — the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) applies. Under ICWA and North Dakota's 2023 state-level codification (HB 1536), tribal family members have placement preference that runs parallel to the state's kinship preference.

Tribal relatives may work through the tribal social services department rather than the state CFS Licensing Unit, depending on where the child is enrolled and which tribal agreements are in place. If you're a tribal family member who's been asked to care for a related child, contact both the tribal social services office and the state CFS to understand which pathway applies to your situation.

Where to Start

If a child has already been placed with you, contact the Human Service Zone case manager assigned to the child's case immediately and ask what's needed to move toward licensed placement. If you're planning ahead — you have a relative situation that may reach crisis — call the CFS Licensing Unit toll-free inquiry line at 1-833-FST-HOME (1-833-378-4663).

The full licensing process for North Dakota — including what happens at each stage and how to prepare for the home study — is at /us/north-dakota/foster-care/. The kinship path is faster than standard foster care in most respects, but it still requires the same foundational safety steps. Starting the process before the emergency is almost always better than starting it in the middle of one.

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