Kinship Care in Texas: What Relatives Need to Know

When a child is removed from their home in Texas, the law says the first call goes to family. Under Texas Family Code § 262.114, DFPS is required to make "diligent efforts" to place children with relatives or close family friends (called "fictive kin") before placing them with a non-relative foster family. For the relative who receives that call — a grandparent, aunt, uncle, older sibling, or family friend — the next 72 hours can be disorienting.

You're being asked to take in a child you love, often with no warning, while also being told you need to meet licensing requirements, pass background checks, and possibly complete training. What's required right now, what can wait, and what unlocks the financial support you'll need?

The Two Tracks for Kinship Caregivers in Texas

Texas operates two distinct tracks for relative and fictive kin placements, and which track you're on determines what you receive.

Track 1: Emergency Kinship Placement (Unverified)

When a child is first placed with a relative on an emergency basis, the family is not yet "verified" as a foster home. During this phase, DFPS or the SSCC conducts a preliminary safety assessment of the home — not the full home study — to determine if the placement is safe enough to proceed.

In this unverified status, kinship caregivers typically receive a Kinship Care monthly stipend that is lower than the standard foster care reimbursement. As of the most recent rate schedule, this is approximately $400–$500 per month per child, depending on the child's needs. The child remains covered under STAR Health Medicaid regardless of verification status.

Track 2: Verified Kinship Placement

If a kinship caregiver completes the full verification process — the same background checks, training, and home study required of non-relative foster parents — they become a "verified" Resource Family who happens to be related to the child. Verification unlocks the full T3C reimbursement rates, which for a Basic Support child pass through at approximately $46.90 per day ($1,407/month).

Verification also makes the kinship caregiver eligible for Permanency Care Assistance (PCA) if the case moves toward long-term placement or legal guardianship rather than reunification or adoption.

Permanency Care Assistance (PCA)

PCA is one of the most important financial programs in Texas kinship care, and one of the least understood. It provides ongoing monthly support to relative or fictive kin caregivers who take Permanent Managing Conservatorship (PMC) of a child — meaning they become the child's legal guardian without going through formal adoption.

To qualify for PCA, the kinship caregiver must:

1. Be a verified foster parent (verification is a prerequisite)
2. Have been the child's caregiver for at least six consecutive months
3. Agree to provide care for the child until age 18
4. Have the child meet DFPS's eligibility criteria (the child cannot have a living parent able to provide care)

PCA payments continue until the child turns 18 and are typically comparable to the foster care reimbursement rate. The child remains eligible for STAR Health Medicaid. This is the state's mechanism for keeping children in family-like placements without requiring adoption.

What Background Checks Are Required for Kinship Caregivers

The same background check architecture applies to kinship caregivers as to non-relative applicants:

• FBI fingerprint check through IdentoGO (using the correct six-digit Service Code from your agency — don't schedule without it)
• Texas Criminal History (DPS database)
• Child Abuse and Neglect Registry (CANS) check
• Sex Offender Registry search

All adults 18 and older in the household must clear these checks. The FACT system (Fingerprint-Based Applicant Clearinghouse of Texas) creates a subscription-based monitoring arrangement — if any adult in the household is arrested in Texas in the future, the agency is automatically notified.

Kinship placements that are made on an emergency basis may allow a child to be in the home during the background check processing period, but the relative must still clear the preliminary safety check before the child is released to them.

Home Safety Standards for Kinship Homes

Kinship homes must meet the same physical safety standards as non-relative foster homes under TAC Chapter 749. The state does not relax these requirements because you're a relative. Common items that need attention:

• Firearms: Locked storage, with ammunition stored separately in a second locked location
• Medications: All prescriptions and OTC medications in a locked box or cabinet
• Bedroom standards: 40 square feet per child in shared rooms, or 80 square feet for a private room; no opposite-gender sharing if either child is over five
• Pool fencing: Four-sided fence, 48 inches minimum, with self-closing, self-latching gates
• Smoke and CO detectors: On every level and in every sleeping area

The most common issue in kinship homes is medications — grandparents and older relatives often have multiple prescription medications that aren't currently secured. Get a lockbox before the home study visit, not after.

The Texas Kinship Care Program and Available Support

Beyond financial support, Texas DFPS operates the Texas Kinship Care program, which provides:

• Kinship Navigators: Specialized case workers who help kinship families understand what services and benefits the child in their care is entitled to
• Kinship Support Groups: Regional support networks for grandparents, aunts, uncles, and fictive kin raising children who aren't their own
• Legal Assistance Referrals: Help understanding guardianship options and the difference between PMC, adoption, and unverified kinship care

SSCC contractors in CBC regions are also required to provide kinship support services as part of their contract with the state. If you're in a region that has transitioned to CBC (San Antonio, Fort Worth, the Panhandle, the Big Country, or the Houston area as of mid-2026), your first contact is the SSCC, not DFPS.

When Adoption Is the Goal

If a kinship caregiver wants to formally adopt rather than take PMC, the process is the same as for non-relative foster parents. You must be verified, the child must be legally free (TPR must have occurred), and the adoption must be finalized in District Court. Most children adopted from foster care by relatives qualify for adoption assistance, including monthly payments, continued STAR Health Medicaid, and the Texas college tuition waiver at any public university or vocational school.

Relatives who adopt tend to finalize more quickly than non-relatives because the child is already in the home and the bond is established. The primary delay is usually the TPR process itself, not the home study.

If you're navigating a kinship placement in Texas right now and need to understand exactly what verification unlocks, how to get through the FACT background check without delays, and what PCA looks like in practice for your specific situation, the Texas Foster Care Licensing Guide covers the kinship pathway in detail alongside the full licensing requirements for your county.

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