March 2023Vol. 24, No. 2ACF Announces New Proposed Foster Family Licensing Regulation to Help Expand Access to Kin Caregiving
A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on licensing standards for relative and kinship foster homes was published in the Federal Register (88 FR 9411) on February 14, 2023. The NPRM proposes to amend federal regulations to allow title IV-E agencies to adopt separate licensing or approval standards for relative or kinship foster family homes that are different from those applied to nonrelative foster homes. It would lessen the obstacles kin and fictive kin face as they work toward caring for their loved ones, and it aligns with President Biden's priorities on providing necessary resources to keep families together and support kinship care.
For more information, view The Family Room Blog article “New Proposed Rule Changing the Foster Care Licensing Regulation Supports Keeping Families Safely Together Through Kinship Care” by Administration for Children and Families Assistant Secretary January Contreras and read the Information Memorandum on the NPRM.
Comments on the proposed rule can be submitted at www.regulations.gov or cbcomments@acf.hhs.gov on or before April 17, 2023.