Hawaii Kinship Care Resources: Free Help for Relatives Raising Children

You're Not Doing This Alone

Hawaii has a network of free programs specifically designed for relatives raising children. The challenge is that these resources are scattered across multiple agencies, islands, and eligibility criteria. Most kinship caregivers don't know half of them exist. Here's the full map.

Legal Help

Legal Aid Society of Hawaii (LASH) is the first call for most kinship caregivers who need legal guidance. They publish the standard caregiver consent affidavit forms, provide free legal advice, and can represent qualifying families in guardianship proceedings. Income eligibility limits apply for full representation, but their information and self-help materials are available to everyone.

Island offices:

• Oahu: 808-536-4302
• Maui: 808-244-3731
• Kauai: 808-245-7580
• Molokai: 808-553-3251
• Lanai: 808-565-6089
• Hilo: 808-934-0678
• Kona: 808-329-8331
• Neighbor Islands: 1-800-499-4302

Volunteer Legal Services Hawaii (VLSH) provides pro bono attorney referrals and legal advice clinics for low-income residents. They can help with self-help guardianship form preparation when LASH is at capacity. Phone: 808-528-7046.

Hawaii Judiciary Self-Help Centers are located at circuit courthouses statewide and are open to anyone — no income test. Staff can provide procedural guidance and court form packets for minor guardianship, including the petition forms and fee waiver applications.

Kinship Navigator and Family Support Programs

Family Programs Hawaii operates the Kinship Navigator Program, connecting relative caregivers with benefits navigation, community referrals, and support groups statewide. This is the most directly relevant program for informal caregivers who aren't in the foster care system. Main office: 808-521-9531.

EPIC 'Ohana, Inc. works with families involved with or at risk of involvement with Child Welfare Services. They provide 'Ohana Conferencing (facilitated family decision-making), youth advocacy, and kinship support. If your caregiving arrangement intersects with CWS at all, they're a critical contact. Main office: 808-838-7752.

UH CTAHR 'Ohana Caregivers Program — the University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources publishes informational brochures on Act 99 (educational caregiver consent) and Act 208 (medical caregiver consent). Their materials are educational and straightforward, though they don't include fillable forms or execution-ready document suites.

Financial Benefits You May Be Missing

Child-Only TANF — If you're a relative caring for a child without the parents present, you may qualify for a Child-Only TANF grant through the Benefit, Employment and Support Services Division (BESSD). The key advantage: only the child's income counts. Your income as the caregiver is completely disregarded. And unlike standard TANF, you're not required to participate in work activities.

Med-QUEST — Hawaii's Medicaid program provides comprehensive health insurance for children through managed care plans. Relative caregivers can apply through the KOLEA online portal. Formal guardianship is not necessarily required to apply on behalf of a child in your care, though the process may require additional documentation of your caregiving arrangement.

Free and Reduced School Meals — Apply through the school for income-based meal subsidies. If the child qualifies under McKinney-Vento (moved in due to housing loss), they get free meals automatically.

Support Groups

Grandparent and kinship caregiver support groups operate on multiple islands. Family Programs Hawaii coordinates groups where you can connect with other relatives navigating the same challenges — school enrollment friction, medical consent confusion, managing contact with birth parents, and the emotional weight of kinship care.

These groups are particularly valuable because they connect you with caregivers who've already solved the specific administrative problems you're hitting for the first time.

Special Education Support

SPIN (Special Parent Information Network) provides free guidance on special education rights, IEP navigation, and IDEA procedural safeguards. If the child in your care has or may need an IEP or Section 504 plan, SPIN can help you understand your role as a caregiver. Phone: 808-586-8126.

When to Use What

• Immediate school enrollment or doctor visit: Start with the caregiver affidavits (HRS § 302A-482 for school, HRS § 577-28 for medical). LASH has the forms.
• Financial help: Apply for Child-Only TANF and Med-QUEST through DHS BESSD and the KOLEA portal.
• Legal questions about guardianship: LASH for legal advice, Judiciary Self-Help Center for forms.
• General kinship support: Family Programs Hawaii Kinship Navigator for benefits navigation and community connections.
• CWS involvement: EPIC 'Ohana for family conferencing and advocacy.

Our Hawaii School and Medical Consent Guide puts the caregiver affidavit process, school enrollment steps, and medical consent workflow into one organized package — and includes the full contact directory for every resource listed above.

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