States can receive title IV-E reimbursement for up to 50 percent of their expenses on kinship navigator programs. The programs must meet the evidence-based requirements of promising, supported, or well supported practices, no matter if those services were accessed on behalf of children who meet the AFDC income-eligibility requirement for Title IV-E or not.
DCYF is working to meet this requirement. It will help the agency have more access to funding streams. But it will be a multi-year process as there are currently no evidence-based kinship programs. DCYF is partnering with the Aging and Long-Term Support Administration and the University of Washington to evaluate and further develop Washington State’s current Kinship Navigator program.
The long-term goal of this work is to build program infrastructure and consistency to develop a promising practice that will qualify for sustainable, federal funding. Additionally, DCYF and its partners are looking for opportunities to help kinship caregivers find and learn about programs and services that support them in caring for the children they are raising.
For more information visit the foster parenting and kinship care site
