On March 14, 2024, Think of Us in partnership with the Children’s Bureau hosted the National Convening on Kinship Care to discuss the new rule on Separate Licensing Standards for Relative or Kinship Foster Family Homes, which was finalized last fall.
The convening kicked off with remarks from leadership of the Administration for Children and Families, the Administration for Children, Youth and Families, and the Children’s Bureau, followed by a guided conversation among lived experts with a variety of experiences with kinship care, setting the stage for the event. It included three additional panels that each had a mix of national advocacy or regulatory organizations, state and tribal leaders, and individuals with lived expertise in kinship care. Key themes centered around creating a kin-first culture and providing necessary supports to kin caregivers both inside and outside the formal child welfare system.
A number of state leaders and leadership teams were in attendance, along with national advocacy organizations. The Program Instruction (PI) for the final rule can be found here.
