DHSS Press Release

FINANCIAL HELP AVAILABLE FOR NEW RELATIVE CAREGIVERS

Kinship Care fund provides $500 per child for children transitioning to relative caregivers

When a household welcomes a child for the first time, there can be lots of expenses. The child might need a high chair and a crib, a bed and a dresser, or school clothes and books. Help is available through the Kinship Care fund, which provides $500 per child to assist eligible children transitioning to relative caregivers.

Relative caregivers are non-parental relatives, such as grandparents or aunts and uncles, who take on the responsibility of caring for a relative child.

The eligibility criteria for the Kinship Care program includes the following:

• The transitioning children must be under 18 years of age
• The caregiver must be a relative to the 5th degree
• The caregivers family income must be less than 200 percent of the federal poverty
• The children's parents cannot live in the caregiver's home.
• The children's transition must have occurred within 90 days of application.

For more information or to apply for the program, contact the Division of State Service Centers at 302-255-9675. Or call the Delaware HelpLine at 800-464-HELP and ask for Kinship Care in the Division of State Service Centers.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware's citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations.