One call to make this week
Georgia has a statewide Kinship Navigator Program — real people whose whole job is helping relatives raising kids find local help. You do not need custody or guardianship paperwork to call them. Details below, or go straight to kinnav.dhs.ga.gov. Verified Jul 2, 2026
The fork in the road: two very different paths
The first thing to figure out — before any form, before any money question — is whether the child is in DFCS legal custody. Everything else flows from that answer. A rough guide: if a DFCS case manager brought the child to your door, the state likely has custody. If the family arranged it among yourselves, it's likely informal. If you're not sure, ask the case manager directly: "Does DFCS have legal custody of this child?"
Informal kinship care
Child is NOT in DFCS custody- The family (or a safety plan) placed the child with you
- You may hit walls on school enrollment and medical consent without legal paperwork
- Money: TANF "child-only" grant; GRG & CRISP if you're a grandparent who qualifies
- No foster care per diem
Kinship foster care (certified)
Child IS in DFCS custody, placed with you- DFCS placed the child with you as a kinship caregiver
- You go through a kinship home evaluation to become an approved foster home
- Money: the foster care per diem, like any other foster home
- Foster home rules and supports apply
There are more legal flavors in between — guardianship, custody through the juvenile court, adoption — each with different rights and different benefits. We've now written the full comparison of those options, including the money consequences of each. Georgia Legal Aid's plain-language overview of kinship legal relationships and public benefits is the best free walkthrough we've found, and it's where the summary above comes from. Verified Jul 2, 2026 If a decision about custody or guardianship is in front of you, talk to a lawyer — this page is a map, not legal advice.
If DFCS placed the child with you: the home evaluation
When a child in DFCS custody is placed with a relative, DFCS evaluates your home so you can become an approved kinship foster home. Policy (DFCS manual §22.4) calls this the Kinship Foster Home Evaluation — a SAFE-model home study, due within 120 days of the child being placed with you. Verified Jul 2, 2026 It's the same kind of family assessment regular foster parents get: conversations about your history and household, plus a safety walk-through.
Your house does not have to be perfect. It has to be safe.
This is the part most grandparents worry about, so here it is plainly: Georgia policy allows DFCS to waive non-safety approval standards for kinship homes, case by case (companion policy §22.6). The dividing line is safety — anything that protects the child from harm can never be waived; other approval standards can be, at DFCS's discretion. Verified Jul 2, 2026 Policy doesn't publish a simple list of what counts as "non-safety," so ask your case manager directly which requirements can be waived in your evaluation.
The money, honestly
Which path you're on decides which money exists for you. None of it is generous, and none of it arrives fast — but most kinship caregivers leave some of it unclaimed simply because nobody told them it existed.
| Program | Who it's for | What it pays | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foster care per diem | Approved kinship foster homes (child in DFCS custody) | Daily rate by the child's age — see the per diem guide | Jul 2, 2026 |
| TANF "child-only" grant | Any relative caregiver — your income is not counted; eligibility is based on the child's | A monthly cash grant (amount depends on household size) | Jul 2, 2026 |
| GRG monthly subsidy (MSP) | Grandparents only: TANF-eligible for the grandchild, within GRG income guidelines, and 55+ or aged/blind/disabled receiving disability benefits | A monthly payment per child — official DHS documents currently list conflicting amounts ($50 in the GRG FAQ vs. $100 in TANF policy 1210); ask for the current figure when you apply | Re-verify |
| CRISP crisis payment | Same grandparent criteria as GRG | One-time payment of up to 4× the maximum TANF benefit for your family size | Jul 2, 2026 |
GRG and CRISP rules come from Georgia's TANF policy manual (PAMMS TANF 1210) and the DHS Kinship Care Portal. On July 3, 2026 we found the DHS GRG FAQ and TANF policy stating different MSP amounts ($50 vs. $100 per month) — it's now on our call-the-state list, and the table above says so rather than guessing. If a caseworker quotes you something different, ask them to point to the current policy — then tell us.
Three honest notes. First, the per diem and the TANF child-only grant belong to different worlds — the per diem is only for approved foster homes caring for a child in DFCS custody. Second, the TANF child-only grant is real but modest; its point is that your income doesn't disqualify the child — you'll need to verify your identity, residency, and how you're related. Verified Jul 2, 2026 Third, GRG is specifically for grandparents, not all kin — aunts, uncles, and family friends should still ask the Kinship Navigator what applies to them.
Call the Kinship Navigator first
Georgia's Kinship Navigator Program has roughly 20 navigators located across the state whose job is connecting kinship families to local resources — benefits applications, school issues, support groups, legal referrals. Two things make it the right first call: you do not need custody or guardianship to get help, and "kin" includes fictive kin — close family friends count. Verified Jul 2, 2026 Start at kinnav.dhs.ga.gov or the DHS program page.
Once you're certified, you're a foster home
If you go the certified route, the approval process asks more of you — but on the other side, the foster-home guides on this site apply to you too. Same training and support expectations, same benefit questions, same rules:
- → The per diem: the actual numbers, and when the money arrives
- → Respite care: how to get a real break
- → WIC, SNAP & CAPS childcare: what a foster child qualifies for
And whichever path you're on: taking in a relative's child at 2 a.m. with a grocery bag of their clothes is one of the hardest, most generous things a person can do. The system's paperwork does not always act like it knows that. The people at the other end of the navigator line do.
Sources & verification
- DFCS policy manual (PAMMS) §22.4 — Kinship Foster Home Evaluation (SAFE home study, 120 days); waiver mechanics live in companion policy §22.6, Waiver of Non-Safety Approval Standardspamms.dhs.ga.gov Jul 2, 2026
- PAMMS TANF §1210 — GRG monthly subsidy ($100/mo/child), CRISP (up to 4× max TANF), grandparent eligibilitypamms.dhs.ga.gov Jul 2, 2026
- DHS Kinship Care Portal FAQs — TANF child-only rules, program overviewsdhs.georgia.gov Jul 2, 2026
- DHS Kinship Navigator Program — statewide navigators; no custody required; fictive kin includedkinnav.dhs.ga.gov Jul 2, 2026
- Georgia Legal Aid — kinship care legal relationships & public benefits overviewgeorgialegalaid.org Jul 2, 2026
This page summarizes policy in plain language and is not legal or financial advice. Custody and guardianship decisions deserve a lawyer; benefit amounts change — if today is past our verified date, confirm with your case manager or the Kinship Navigator before budgeting.