Arizona Kinship Care Paperwork Checklist: Every Form and Document You Need

When a child moves in with a relative in Arizona, the paperwork comes from five different directions: the courts, the school district, the doctor's office, state benefits agencies, and the insurance system. Nobody hands you a single list. Here is that list.

Authority Documents (Get These First)

Form GNPPOA10F — Power of Attorney Delegating Parental Powers The parent signs this in front of a notary and one witness. For in-person Arizona notarization of a power of attorney, the notary must record the signer's right thumbprint in the notary journal (or use another finger if the right thumbprint is unavailable). The form gives you authority over school, medical, dental, and daily care for up to six months. Download from azcourts.gov. This is the single most important document — everything else gets easier once you have it.

Instruction sheet GNPPOA1z Comes with the form. Read it before filling out GNPPOA10F — it explains each section.

School Enrollment Documents

When you walk into the school registrar's office, bring:

• [ ] Copy of Form GNPPOA10F (your authority to enroll the child)
• [ ] Proof of residency in the school district — follow ADE's residency guidelines. Examples include a utility bill, lease, deed or mortgage document, property-tax bill, or temporary on-base billeting document bearing the parent or legal guardian's name and address. If that adult shares someone else's home and cannot provide a document in their own name, use ADE's notarized Affidavit of Shared Residence and the resident's supporting document.
• [ ] If you live with someone else: ADE Affidavit of Shared Residence, signed by the homeowner/tenant and notarized, plus their utility bill or lease
• [ ] Child's birth certificate, passport, or baptismal record (for age/identity verification)
• [ ] Immunization records (from previous school, pediatrician, or Arizona's ASIIS registry)
• [ ] Previous school transcripts or withdrawal form (the new school can request these directly if you don't have them)

Enrollment rules depend on which document is missing. McKinney-Vento-eligible students have immediate-enrollment protections; immunization records have separate proof, exemption, and conditional-admission rules. Ask the school what applies and bring any documents you do have.

Medical and Dental Care Documents

For the first appointment at a pediatrician, dentist, or clinic:

• [ ] Copy of Form GNPPOA10F (your authority to consent to treatment)
• [ ] Child's AHCCCS or KidsCare insurance card (if enrolled)
• [ ] Child's immunization records
• [ ] Any known medical history, allergies, or current medications
• [ ] Child's birth date and Social Security number (for insurance processing)

If you don't have the child's medical history, say so at intake. The pediatrician will work with what you know and build a new baseline.

Benefits Applications

Health insurance (AHCCCS/KidsCare):

• [ ] Application through Health-e-Arizona PLUS (heaplus.gov) or DES office
• [ ] Your ID and Social Security number
• [ ] Child's birth certificate and Social Security number
• [ ] Proof the child lives with you
• [ ] Your income documentation (Social Security statement, pay stubs)

Child-only TANF:

• [ ] Same application portal (Health-e-Arizona PLUS) — check the TANF box
• [ ] Documentation showing the parent is absent, incarcerated, in treatment, or otherwise unable to care for the child

SNAP (food assistance):

• [ ] Applied through the same DES portal
• [ ] Household income and expense documentation

WIC (children under 5):

• [ ] Separate application at a WIC clinic (county health department or community health center)
• [ ] Proof of residency, income, and the child's identity

Documents to Keep in Your Car or Phone

Once you have them, keep copies of these accessible at all times:

• Form GNPPOA10F (the POA)
• Child's birth certificate copy
• Child's insurance card
• Your own ID
• Emergency contact information for the parent (if available) and the child's doctor

A photo on your phone counts for quick verification, but schools and medical offices usually want a physical or scanned copy for their files.

Tracking Expiration

Form GNPPOA10F expires six months from its effective date. Set a calendar reminder at the five-month mark. If the arrangement is continuing, arrange a renewal signing session with the parent before the current form expires. Letting it lapse — even for a day — creates a gap in your authority that schools and doctors will notice.

What You Don't Need

• A court order for school enrollment (a POA or proof of residency is enough)
• A court order for medical consent (the POA covers routine and emergency care)
• A lawyer to prepare the POA (the court's free form is all you need)
• The parent's permission to apply for AHCCCS, TANF, or SNAP on the child's behalf

The Arizona School and Medical Consent Guide puts all of these documents into a single workflow — what to prepare, in what order, what to say when an institution pushes back, and when the POA isn't enough and you need to consider court.

See more Arizona guides →