DC CFSA Kinship Navigator, Legal Aid, and Free Help for Relative Caregivers
You Don't Have to Figure This Out Alone
DC has more free kinship caregiver support than most jurisdictions — legal representation, benefits navigation, financial subsidies, and peer groups — but the services are spread across several organizations. Here's who does what, who to call first, and what each one can actually help with.
CFSA Kinship Navigator Program
The Child and Family Services Agency runs the Kinship Navigator as a centralized hub for relative caregivers. This is the first call if you're not sure where to start.
What they do: Connect you to financial subsidies (GCP and CRCP), help with benefits applications, provide referrals to legal services, and link you to community resources. They also process applications for the Grandparent Caregivers Program and Close Relative Caregivers Program.
Contact: kinshipdc.org | 1-866-326-5461
The Kinship Navigator isn't a legal services provider — they won't represent you in court. But they can point you to the right legal aid organization and help you apply for the financial programs you're eligible for.
Children's Law Center
The Children's Law Center provides free legal representation for DC caregivers — not just advice, but actual lawyers who will go to court with you.
What they do: Provide legal services in education, powers of attorney, and third-party caregiver matters, including custody, guardianship, or adoption cases. Their current intake page says third-party caregiver intakes are paused.
Contact: childrenslawcenter.org/get-help. The page lists 202-467-4900 x502 for intake, but says the phone intake line is closed from October 26, 2026, through January 4, 2027, and third-party caregiver intakes are currently paused. Its online request form remains open.
Children's Law Center serves DC residents and focuses on children's legal needs. Check its Get Help page for current availability before relying on it for a guardianship or caregiver case; third-party caregiver intakes are currently paused.
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Legal Aid DC
Legal Aid DC provides free civil legal assistance across a range of family law matters, including kinship care.
What they do: Direct legal representation in custody, guardianship, and family law cases. They also handle housing, public benefits, and immigration matters that often intersect with kinship care situations — such as when a caregiver needs help securing TANF or dealing with a housing dispute that affects the child's school enrollment.
Contact: legalaiddc.org | 202-628-1161
Legal Aid DC serves low-income DC residents. Their family law team handles guardianship petitions, custody matters, and standby guardianship designations.
DC KinCare Alliance
The DC KinCare Alliance is an advocacy organization focused specifically on relative caregivers.
What they do: Legal support for CPOA preparation and kinship care navigation, policy advocacy for kinship caregiver rights, and community education. They publish the widely-used DC Custodial Power of Attorney form and revocation template.
Contact: dckincare.org | 202-505-5803
If you need help understanding the difference between a CPOA, an OPC form, and a guardianship order — or if you need help drafting and executing a CPOA — DC KinCare Alliance specializes in that specific intersection.
Family Court Self-Help Center
The Self-Help Center at the D.C. Superior Court provides free walk-in assistance for people representing themselves in court.
What they do: Explain DC family-law matters and procedures, help you identify and complete appropriate forms, and refer you to other clinics and programs. They can't provide legal advice or represent you.
Location: Moultrie Courthouse, 500 Indiana Avenue NW, Room JM-570 | 202-879-0096
If you can't afford a lawyer and don't qualify for legal aid, the Self-Help Center helps you navigate the court system on your own. They also provide information about filing fee waivers (In Forma Pauperis) for low-income petitioners.
DC Bar Pro Bono Center
The DC Bar runs pro bono legal clinics and connects self-represented litigants with volunteer attorneys.
What they do: Free brief-advice and referral clinics and court-based legal resource centers. LawHelp.org/DC has legal information and referrals to free legal services.
This is a secondary option if the Children's Law Center and Legal Aid DC can't take your case — pro bono attorneys volunteer their time and availability varies.
When to Call Which Organization
"I just took in a child and don't know where to start" → CFSA Kinship Navigator (1-866-326-5461)
"I need a CPOA drafted or help with paperwork" → DC KinCare Alliance (202-505-5803)
"A school is refusing to enroll the child" → Children's Law Center's Get Help page (third-party caregiver intakes are currently paused)
"I need to file for guardianship or custody" → Legal Aid DC (202-628-1161); check the Children's Law Center's Get Help page because third-party caregiver intakes are currently paused.
"I'm filing court papers on my own" → Family Court Self-Help Center (202-879-0096)
Our DC School and Medical Consent Guide covers the legal framework these organizations help you navigate — every form, every consent pathway, and the signals that tell you it's time to get a lawyer involved.
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Download the District of Columbia School and Medical Consent Checklist — a printable guide with checklists, scripts, and action plans you can start using today.