What is Kinship Care?

Kinship care helps a family support a child in the home of a relative when situations occur that a biological parent is unable to provide care. A financial payment may be available to kin (or relative), so that placing a child in a foster home or another out-of-home care setting may be avoided. The eligibility and program requirements for Kinship Care are set forth in Wisconsin Chapter DCF 58 Administrative Code.

Relatives are the preferred placement for children.

Apply to Become a Kinship Care Provider

To learn about becoming a Kinship Care Provider, please contact the Social Services Department at 715-261-7500or SocialServices.GeneralAccess@co.marathon.wi.us.

Types of Kinship Care

Voluntary Kinship Care

Kinship Care is a program to support a child who lives outside of their biological home and within the home of a relative. Legal custody of the child remains with the parents. Parents should sign a Power of Attorney to ensure the relative caregiver is able to meet all of the child’s needs in the parent’s absence. While the signed Power of Attorney is not required for the program, it is highly recommended if possible. The child may be living temporarily or for the long term with a relative.

Caregivers may apply to receive assistance from Social Services if they are providing primary care to a child relative.

There are three basic eligibility requirements for Kinship Care:

• The basic needs of the child can be better met with the relative than with the parent
• The placement is in the best interests of the child
• The child currently or might meet the requirements to be in need of protection or services if the child were to remain with his or her parent(s)

Other requirements include:

• A criminal background check on the relative caretaker and all adult household members
• Cooperation with the agency by the relative caretaker
• The relative caretaker must apply for other public assistance or benefits the child might be eligible for
• The relative caretaker must cooperate with referring the parents to child support, unless the relative caretaker is granted an exemption
• Kinship living arrangements and eligibility must be reviewed every 12 months

Formal Kinship Care

In formal kinship care, a Judge places a child in the legal custody of the Child welfare agency, acting on behalf of the state. The child is then placed with a relative who has physical custody of the child. The child welfare agency and the family work together to make decisions for the children. The agency is responsible for ensuring the children receive medical care and attend school, and to arrange visits with parents or siblings, if the Judge has approved these visits. In formal kindship care, the relative caregivers are certified or approved as foster parents and have rights and responsibilities like other foster parents do.

See the our Foster Care page for more information on foster care.