Kinship Foster Care in Virginia: Requirements, Financial Support, and the Kinship Navigator

When a child is removed from their home in Virginia, the law requires the state to look for relatives first. Under Code of Virginia § 63.2-900, the LDSS must make diligent efforts to place children with a relative before seeking an unrelated foster home. For grandparents, aunts and uncles, older siblings, and other family members, this creates both an opportunity and an urgent responsibility — because "relative preferred" doesn't mean "automatic placement."

If you're a relative who received a call about a child in your family, here's what you need to know.

Why Kinship Care Matters in Virginia

Children placed with relatives experience better outcomes on nearly every measurable dimension: higher rates of placement stability, better mental health outcomes, stronger connection to their cultural and family identity. Virginia's policy reflects this — but the administrative process doesn't always make kinship care easy.

The state has approximately 5,000 children in foster care at any given time, and a significant portion are placed with relatives. Many of those kinship caregivers took a child in quickly, before fully understanding the licensing process, the financial support available, or their own legal rights.

Two Types of Kinship Approval in Virginia

Not all kinship arrangements are the same. Virginia distinguishes between:

Fully Licensed Kinship Foster Home: A relative who completes the full licensing process — background checks, NTDC pre-service training, home safety inspection, and the Mutual Family Assessment — is approved as a licensed foster parent. They receive the same monthly maintenance payments as any other licensed foster parent ($521/month for children 0–4, $609 for ages 5–12, $772 for teens 13+, based on 2024–2025 rates), plus access to Medicaid for the child and other support services.

Informal / Approved Relative Placement: In emergency situations, a child can be placed with a relative provisionally before full licensing is complete. This allows the child to stay with family while the agency conducts background checks and the home study. However, informal placement often comes with reduced or no financial support until licensing is finalized. Some kinship caregivers in this category go months without support while paperwork moves through the system.

The key message: if a child has been placed with you informally, start the full licensing process immediately. The financial and support difference between informal and fully licensed kinship care is substantial.

Background Check Requirements for Kinship Caregivers

The same background checks that apply to unrelated foster parents apply to kinship caregivers — there are no exemptions based on family relationship. Every adult in the household must undergo:

• Virginia State Police (VSP) criminal record check
• FBI fingerprint check
• Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry check (for all states of residence in the past 5 years)
• Sex offender registry check
• Sworn Disclosure Statement

For some non-violent or older misdemeanor convictions, a waiver may be available under Code of Virginia § 63.2-1721. The waiver process requires demonstrating rehabilitation over time — typically at least 10 years since the offense — and is evaluated case by case. Kinship cases receive particular consideration because the law's preference for maintaining family bonds acknowledges that imperfect history does not necessarily disqualify a caring relative.

If there's a conviction in your household's history, disclose it early and ask directly whether a waiver may apply. The worst outcome is having a child placed informally, building attachment over months, then learning the placement cannot be formalized because of an undisclosed record.

Home Requirements for Kinship Placements

Your home must meet the same safety standards as any licensed foster home under 22 VAC 40-141:

• Every child has a separate bed with adequate bedding and at least 3 feet of space between beds
• No more than four children per bedroom
• Children of opposite sex over age 2 cannot share a bedroom
• Children cannot share a bed or bedroom with an adult
• Medications locked in a secure container
• Firearms unloaded and locked, ammunition stored separately
• Working smoke detectors on every floor and in sleeping areas
• First aid kit present

For kinship caregivers who took a child in quickly without preparation, doing a self-audit of the home against this list before the inspector visits prevents preventable failures. Locked medication storage is the most commonly missed item.

Financial Support for Kinship Caregivers

Fully licensed kinship foster parents receive the standard foster care maintenance payments, which cover the child's room and board, clothing, and personal needs. The child is also automatically enrolled in Medicaid (FAMIS), covering all medical, dental, and therapeutic costs at no expense to the caregiver.

For children with extraordinary care needs, the Virginia Enhanced Maintenance Assessment Tool (VEMAT) calculates an enhanced payment based on the intensity and frequency of specialized care required. A kinship caregiver managing a child with significant behavioral or medical needs can request a VEMAT assessment.

Additionally, a 2023 legislative change established the Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program, which provides ongoing financial support to relative caregivers who take legal guardianship of a child rather than proceeding to adoption. This matters for grandparents and other relatives who want to provide permanency without severing the child's legal relationship with parents.

The Virginia Kinship Navigator Program

The Kinship Navigator is a state-funded support program specifically for relatives raising children outside the foster care system — as well as those within it. Navigators help kinship caregivers:

• Understand their legal options (foster care, guardianship, adoption, informal care)
• Access financial assistance, legal aid, and community services
• Navigate the licensing process and connect with training resources

Contact your local LDSS to ask about kinship navigator services in your area. Given Virginia's 120-locality model, availability and resources vary by jurisdiction, but the navigator connection point is always the local department.

Kinship Care vs. Adoption

Some kinship caregivers eventually choose to adopt the child in their care. Adoption through kinship is possible once parental rights have been terminated by the court. A relative who has been providing foster care has standing to file a petition for adoption in the Circuit Court.

Adoption ends the formal foster care relationship and the associated financial support — unless an Adoption Assistance Agreement is negotiated and signed before the adoption is finalized. Most children adopted from foster care qualify for ongoing adoption assistance, including a monthly stipend and continued Medicaid coverage. Do not finalize adoption without first negotiating this agreement.

Where to Start

If a child has already been placed with you, contact your local LDSS immediately if you haven't already done so. If you're anticipating a placement, contact your local department now to understand the requirements before the emergency arises.

The Virginia Foster Care Licensing Guide walks through the full licensing process, including the kinship waiver process, background check requirements, home safety standards, and how financial support works at each level of approval.

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