Alabama Kinship Navigator: What the Program Does and How to Use It

What the Kinship Navigator Actually Is

The Alabama Kinship Navigator is a statewide information and referral service operated through the Alabama Department of Human Resources. It exists to help grandparents, aunts, uncles, and other relatives who are raising a child outside the foster care system find the programs and services available to them.

You can reach the Navigator at 1-844-425-2546 (1-844-4ALA-KIN) or through navigator.alabama.gov.

The service covers all 67 Alabama counties and connects caregivers with benefits programs, legal aid resources, support groups, training workshops, and community organizations. It serves both formal kinship foster families and informal relative caregivers — meaning you don't need a court order or DHR involvement to call.

What the Navigator Can Do

The Navigator acts as a clearinghouse. When you call, a specialist can:

• Explain what programs you and the child may qualify for — TANF child-only grants, Medicaid, ALL Kids, SNAP, and the Low Income Kinship Care Program
• Connect you with Legal Services Alabama for help drafting a power of attorney or filing a guardianship petition
• Refer you to the Kids & Kin Program (Family Guidance Center) for training, peer support, and educational resources
• Point you to local support groups and respite care
• Help you understand the difference between informal care, probate guardianship, and foster care placement

What the Navigator Cannot Do

This is where expectations need adjusting. The Kinship Navigator is a referral service, not a legal service or document preparation office. The staff cannot:

• Draft or review a power of attorney under § 26-2A-7
• Fill out school enrollment forms on your behalf
• Represent you in probate court or juvenile court
• Provide legal advice about custody or guardianship
• Complete Medicaid or TANF applications for you

Those tasks either fall to legal aid attorneys, school district staff, or county DHR caseworkers. The Navigator's value is getting you to the right person faster than searching on your own.

The Low Income Kinship Care Program

One of the most useful programs the Navigator can connect you with is the Low Income Kinship Care Program, administered directly by county DHR offices. If your household income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty level and the placement faces imminent breakdown, you may qualify for emergency grants:

• Up to $500 for special needs expenses
• Up to $400 for rent
• Up to $200 for utilities
• Emergency food assistance

These are designed to prevent placement breakdowns — situations where a caregiver might have to give up the child due to financial strain. The grants are per fiscal year and don't require the child to be in the formal foster care system.

Kids & Kin: The Other Key Program

The Kids & Kin Program, run by the Family Guidance Center of Alabama and funded by DHR, offers support to relatives caring for children under 12. To qualify, you need to be at least 19, caring for a relative's child, and not be the child's legal guardian, foster parent, or licensed child care provider.

The program provides free training workshops, peer support groups, child development resources, and health and safety items, books, and learning materials through its voluntary certification program. Find current county contacts at familyguidancecenter.org/kids-and-kin or call the Family Guidance Center's main office at (334) 270-4100.

When the Navigator Isn't Enough

If you've already called the Navigator and still can't get a child enrolled in school or seen by a doctor, the issue is usually paperwork. Alabama has no statewide caregiver affidavit, so you need either a signed parental power of attorney (requires the parent's cooperation) or a court order (requires filing in probate or juvenile court).

The Alabama School and Medical Consent Guide walks through every form, every scenario, and every workaround — including what to do when a school district rejects your POA, how to handle medical consent for children under 14 and those age 14 or older, plus minors covered by statutory exceptions, and when it's time to move from informal arrangements to a court filing.

See more Alabama guides →