Kinship Foster Care in New York: KinGAP, Eligibility, and the Approval Process

A grandparent gets a call on a Tuesday afternoon: their grandchild has been removed by child protective services and the child needs somewhere to go tonight. What happens next is determined not by how much the grandparent loves the child, but by whether they understand the kinship approval process and activate it immediately.

If you are a relative or close family friend who has taken in — or may need to take in — a child connected to the foster care system, this is what you need to know about how New York's kinship pathway works.

What "Kinship Caregiver" Means in New York

New York defines relatives broadly. Blood relations are included, obviously, but so is "fictive kin" — a person with no blood relationship to the child but who has a prior positive relationship with the child or the child's family. A family friend who has known the child for years, a godparent, a neighbor who has served as a trusted figure — all may qualify as kinship caregivers under New York law.

This broad definition matters. It allows agencies to place children with the people most connected to their existing world rather than defaulting to an unrelated certified foster home.

Emergency Kinship Approval

When a child is removed and a relative wants to step in immediately, there is an expedited pathway. Relatives can be granted an emergency "approval" — distinct from full "certification" — on a 90-day basis that allows placement to happen quickly while the longer certification process proceeds in parallel.

The safety checks for emergency approval are not waived. Background checks through the SCR and DCJS still run, and the relative's home must still be assessed for basic safety. But the timeline for completing training and the full home study is extended, allowing placement to happen before the entire process concludes.

The emergency approval period lasts up to 90 days. During that time, the relative must complete the standard NTDC pre-service training, submit the full application packet, and work through the home study process to transition from "approved" to "certified" status.

If you are in an emergency kinship situation, contact your county Department of Social Services (DSS) or NYC ACS immediately. Do not wait for the child's placement to be formally arranged without advocating for kinship placement — the system moves fast, and unrelated placements can become primary if relatives don't make their availability known quickly.

The Certification Process for Kinship Caregivers

Once the emergency approval period begins, kinship caregivers follow a modified version of the standard foster parent certification process. The requirements are substantively identical — background checks, home study, physical safety inspection — but the training pathway is different.

Kinship caregivers complete the NTDC specialized track called "NTDC: Caring for Our Own," which runs 15 to 20 hours and is designed specifically for relatives stepping into a caregiving role. This is shorter than the 30-hour standard NTDC training for non-relative applicants, though NYC kinship caregivers may also need to complete the Trauma Responsive Informed Parenting Program (TRIPP) curriculum.

The home study for kinship caregivers covers the same physical safety requirements as any other foster home. The caseworker will also assess the relationship between the caregiver and the child's parent — because supporting family reunification is still the case plan goal in most kinship placements, the agency needs to understand any family dynamics that could create conflict.

Financial Support During the Kinship Foster Care Period

Certified kinship foster parents receive the same monthly board payment as non-relative certified foster parents. The 2024-2025 rates range from $959.18 (upstate, ages 0-5) to $1,318.95 (Metro, ages 12+). Children in kinship foster care are also covered by Medicaid, and kinship caregivers are eligible for the childcare subsidy.

Relatives who are in the earlier "approved" status — before full certification is complete — may receive reduced or different rates depending on their county and agency arrangement. Clarify the payment structure with your caseworker at the start of the placement.

The KinGAP Pathway

The Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program (KinGAP) is a permanency option that lets a kinship caregiver exit the foster care system with legal guardianship rather than adoption. It is specifically designed for situations where:

• The child cannot safely return home
• Adoption is not appropriate or desired (often because the kinship caregiver does not want to legally terminate the biological parent's rights)
• The child has lived with the kinship caregiver for at least six consecutive months

That six-month requirement is the critical threshold. The clock starts from the date of placement in the kinship home, and it must be continuous. If a child is temporarily moved to another placement during that period, the clock resets.

Approximately 12% of foster care discharges in New York now flow through KinGAP, reflecting the program's importance in the state's permanency strategy.

KinGAP Financial Support

When guardianship is finalized through KinGAP, the caregiver begins receiving a monthly KinGAP subsidy. This subsidy is negotiated at the time of finalization and is generally based on the foster care board rate the child was receiving at the time of the KinGAP agreement. It continues until the child turns 21 if the child is in school or has a disability, or until age 18 otherwise.

The child continues to receive Medicaid coverage under the KinGAP agreement, and education and training vouchers may also be available.

The key financial difference between KinGAP and adoption is that KinGAP does not require Termination of Parental Rights. Biological parents retain their legal parental status. This matters to many kinship caregivers who do not want to sever the legal relationship between the child and their parent, even if the child cannot live with that parent.

Kinship Caregiver Rights

Kinship caregivers who are certified foster parents have the same rights as other foster parents under New York's Foster Parent Bill of Rights. These include the right to receive information about the child before placement, the right to participate in service planning and permanency hearings, and the right to be considered as the adoptive placement if the child becomes legally free for adoption.

Kinship caregivers who are in "approved" rather than "certified" status have more limited rights under the bill of rights — another reason to complete the full certification process rather than remaining in emergency approval status longer than necessary.

Planning Ahead

The most common mistake kinship caregivers make is assuming their family relationship alone is sufficient to secure placement and support. It is not. The legal pathway to stable, financially supported kinship care in New York requires active engagement with the system: completing certification, understanding the KinGAP six-month threshold, and negotiating the subsidy agreement before finalization.

The New York Foster Care Licensing Guide includes a section on the kinship pathway, the KinGAP eligibility requirements, and a financial breakdown of what the subsidy covers at different age levels — organized specifically for relatives who may be navigating the system for the first time under pressure.

If a child in your extended family needs a home, the system's preference is to keep them connected to the people who already know them. Understanding how to activate that preference is the first step.

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