Colorado SB 24-008: Non-Certified Kinship Caregiver Payments Explained

What SB 24-008 Changed for Kinship Caregivers

Before Senate Bill 24-008, relatives who took in a child through child welfare but didn't hold a full foster care license received little or no financial support from the state. Certified foster parents got the full maintenance rate; non-certified kin got the paperwork and the child, but not the check.

SB 24-008 closed part of that gap. It initially established a payment for non-certified kinship caregivers equal to 30% of the state foster care maintenance rate. The state reimbursed county departments 90% of those costs.

Important update (July 2026): HB 26-1374 ended state financial assistance and county reimbursement for non-certified kinship care homes effective July 1, 2026. Counties are not required to provide financial assistance or supports for these homes, except as required by federal law or Colorado's out-of-home placement and temporary custody provisions. Ask your county caseworker which support applies to your placement.

Who Qualified Under SB 24-008

The payments applied to relatives caring for children in temporary county child welfare custody — meaning the child was placed by a county department, not through a private family arrangement. The caregiver's home didn't need full foster certification, but the child had to be in the legal custody of a county human services department.

This covered grandparents, aunts, uncles, adult siblings, and other relatives (or "fictive kin" with a prior family-like relationship) who accepted an emergency or planned placement from child welfare.

What Else SB 24-008 Created

Beyond the monthly payment, SB 24-008 also authorized other supports for kinship homes:

• Emergency financial assistance for kinship homes: funding for beds, clothing, safety equipment, transportation, and limited housing help (up to 60 days)
• Mandatory judicial advisement: before placing a child with a relative, juvenile courts must now formally explain the financial and legal differences between certified foster care, non-certified kinship care, guardianship, and Allocation of Parental Responsibilities
• Streamlined certification standards: CDHS created separate, simplified foster home certification rules for kinship homes, removing non-safety facility barriers so relatives can get fully certified and access 100% of the foster maintenance rate

What to Do Now That State Payments Have Ended

For a child living with you outside county child-welfare custody, a child-only Colorado Works grant may be available if the child meets the program's eligibility rules. It pays $173 per month for a one-child unit (more for additional children), your income doesn't count, and there are no work requirements or time limits. For a child who remains in county custody, ask the caseworker about support required for the placement and kinship certification options.

You can also apply for Health First Colorado (Medicaid) for the child, SNAP food benefits, and CCCAP child care assistance — none of which require foster certification.

For the full picture of every program still available and how to apply, see our Colorado Kinship Financial Help guide.

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