Maryland Kinship Care: How Relatives Become Licensed Caregivers

When a child is removed from their home, Maryland law requires the Department of Human Services to search for relatives first. The preference for keeping children with family is not just policy — it is a legal mandate. But relatives who step up in an emergency often do so without warning, without training, and without any clear idea of what the system expects from them or what they are entitled to receive.

That confusion is expensive. Relatives who do not formally pursue "Restricted Caregiver" or full resource home licensing often miss out on monthly maintenance payments, childcare subsidies, and the legal standing that comes with a formal placement.

What Is a Restricted Caregiver?

A "Restricted Caregiver" is a relative who is licensed specifically to care for a particular child in their family. Unlike a general foster care license — which authorizes you to receive any child the LDSS places — a Restricted Caregiver license applies only to the specific relative child currently in your care.

This track exists precisely for situations where a child has been removed and a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or sibling steps in immediately. It provides a faster path to formal recognition and monthly payments while the full resource home licensing requirements are completed over a longer period.

The LDSS assigns a dedicated home worker to Restricted Caregivers. This is not just a support measure — it is an acknowledgment that kinship placements carry a distinct set of stresses: navigating the biological parent's involvement, managing complicated family loyalties, and often doing all of this on a fixed or retirement income.

The 2024 Maryland Kinship Rate Reform

The Moore-Miller administration's kinship law reform took effect in 2024. The changes produced a 33% average increase in youth placed with kin statewide, driven by two things: higher monthly payments for formally licensed kinship caregivers, and a new expedited licensing track that removes the barrier of completing everything before money starts flowing.

Previously, many relatives received informal kinship payments that were lower than standard foster care rates. Under the reformed system, a Restricted Caregiver who is formally licensed receives the same monthly maintenance payments as any other licensed resource home — $887 per month for a child under 12, $1,024 for a child 12 and older (2024–2025 rates).

Kinship placements have increased most sharply in Baltimore City (18% increase) and Prince George's County, where the combination of economic pressure and generational family structure makes kinship care the norm rather than the exception.

How to Get Kinship Custody in Maryland

"Kinship custody" can mean different things depending on where you are in the process and what your long-term goals are.

Emergency kinship placement happens when DSS places a child with you immediately after a removal, often via a court order the same day or within hours. At this stage, you are not yet licensed. The LDSS will assign a worker to begin the licensing process. You may receive emergency payments while that process is underway.

Restricted Caregiver licensing is the formal path. The LDSS completes an expedited home study focused on background checks and immediate safety requirements. You must still meet the COMAR 07.02.25 physical safety standards — smoke detectors, locked medications, firearm storage, Angel's Law window coverings — but the timeline is compressed. The goal is to get the child formally placed with you in a licensed setting as quickly as possible.

Full resource home licensing may follow, particularly if you intend to care for the child long-term or if additional children from the same family may need placement in the future. Full licensing takes the same path as any resource parent: PRIDE training (27 hours), complete home study, background checks, and medical clearances.

Legal guardianship is a separate legal status that can follow long-term kinship care. If reunification is not feasible and the birth parents agree — or if the court terminates parental rights — kinship caregivers can petition for guardianship or adoption, which provides a permanent legal relationship. Maryland's Adoption Assistance program provides monthly subsidies and continued Medicaid coverage for children adopted from foster care, including those adopted by kin.

Background Checks for Kinship Caregivers

All adults in the household — including any adult children, partners, or boarders — must complete the same background check process as non-relative applicants. This includes:

• Fingerprint-based criminal history (CJIS and FBI)
• Maryland Central Registry check for child abuse and neglect history
• Sex Offender Registry (Maryland and National)
• MVA driving record check

The expedited kinship track compresses the administrative timeline but does not waive any of these checks. If you have lived outside Maryland in the past five years, clearances from those states are also required.

Financial Support Available to Kinship Caregivers

Once formally licensed, Restricted Caregivers receive the full suite of support available to resource parents:

• Monthly maintenance payments at the standard board rate
• Maryland Medicaid (HealthChoice) — all medical costs for the child are covered
• Childcare subsidy for pre-school-age children if you are working
• Respite care reimbursement (~$30 per night) for temporary relief care
• SUN Bucks ($120 per child for summer food assistance)
• Initial clothing allowance ($60–$100) when the child first enters your home

Relatives who care for children informally — outside any formal licensing structure — are generally not eligible for these payments. That is the single strongest reason to pursue formal Restricted Caregiver status rather than an informal arrangement.

Common Challenges for Kinship Families

Space requirements. Maryland requires that each child have their own bed. Children over age 2 cannot share a room with an adult. Opposite-sex siblings may not share a room unless both are under 5. Many relatives have smaller homes than the state's space standards expect. The LDSS evaluates whether modifications are feasible before rejecting an application on this basis, but it is worth mapping this out before your home study.

Fixed income. The "sufficient income" standard requires that you can support your own household without the foster stipend. For grandparents on Social Security or retirement income, this threshold is often met, but you will need to document it clearly.

Dual role stress. Kinship caregivers navigate the most emotionally complex version of foster care. You are simultaneously supporting the child, managing your relationship with the birth parent (your own son, daughter, sibling, or relative), and working within the formal LDSS case plan. Many county LDSS offices run kinship-specific support groups. Baltimore City and Prince George's County both have active peer support programs.

The Maryland Foster Care Licensing Guide includes specific guidance for kinship caregivers on the expedited licensing track, financial entitlements, and what to expect at each stage of the CINA court process.

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