Illinois DCFS Kinship Foster Care Payments and Licensing

DCFS Kinship Placement Is a Different Track

When DCFS places a child with a relative through the formal child welfare system, that's a fundamentally different situation from raising a grandchild informally. The child is a ward of the court. DCFS has legal custody. You're caring for the child under DCFS supervision, and a different set of financial supports — and obligations — kicks in.

Understanding this distinction matters because the benefits are more generous, but so are the requirements.

How a Child Ends Up in DCFS Kinship Placement

A DCFS kinship placement happens when:

1. DCFS investigates a report of abuse or neglect and determines the child can't safely remain with the biological parents
2. The juvenile court makes the child a ward of the state
3. Instead of placing the child with a non-relative foster family, DCFS places the child with a relative — a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or other family member

Relative placement is handled within the formal DCFS child-welfare case. If DCFS contacts you, ask the caseworker about the placement steps, required documents, and timing.

If DCFS contacts you about taking in a relative's child, you're entering the formal system. The child remains in DCFS legal custody even though they're living in your home.

Licensing and the KIND Act

The Kinship in Demand (KIND) Act, effective July 1, 2025, establishes separate certification standards for relative caregivers. Ask DCFS for the current safety checklist, background-check scope, training schedule, and when financial support begins for your placement.

The state-mandated Kinship Navigator Program is also identified as a resource for relative caregivers. Ask DCFS whether a navigator is available for your case and what services the program provides.

What Relative Foster Parents Get Paid

DCFS foster-care board payments are available for formal foster placements. The age-based amounts below are current base monthly subsidized-guardianship (KinGAP) rates, not a foster-care board rate table. A KinGAP subsidy cannot exceed the licensed foster-care maintenance payment:

The KinGAP rates shown above are not specialized foster-care or adoption-assistance rates; ask DCFS for the payment amount that applies to the child's placement.

Confirm tax treatment and effects on Social Security or pension calculations before relying on a payment estimate.

In addition to the board payment:

• The child receives automatic Medicaid coverage through DCFS (not through All Kids — this is a direct DCFS medical card)
• A child receiving foster-care board payments is excluded from the SNAP household unless the household chooses to include the child
• The child is directly certified for free school meals

What You Give Up

DCFS retains legal custody of a child in a formal relative placement, and the child remains under DCFS supervision. Visit, training, decision-making, and parent-contact requirements depend on the placement plan and court orders; confirm them with your caseworker.

From Foster Care to Permanency

If returning home is not an appropriate permanency goal, DCFS may consider another permanent arrangement. KinGAP is available when DCFS determines that return home and adoption are not appropriate permanency goals. The written Subsidized Guardianship Agreement must be executed before the Circuit Court enters the guardianship order, or eligibility for the subsidy is forfeited.

If You're Caring for a Child Without DCFS Involvement

Most kinship caregivers in Illinois are raising children informally — no DCFS case, no court order, no foster care license. If that's your situation, DCFS foster care payments aren't available to you, but several other programs are:

• TANF child-only grant (your income doesn't count)
• All Kids health coverage
• SNAP food assistance
• EFSP emergency help through DCFS (even without a formal case)

The Illinois kinship financial help guide walks through every program available to both informal and formal kinship caregivers, with checklists for each application.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I receive DCFS foster-care payments for a child already living with me informally?

Foster-care payments described here apply to formal DCFS placements, not informal care alone. Contact DCFS or legal aid about whether a particular situation may enter DCFS care.

Do foster care payments stop if I become the child's legal guardian?

KinGAP can provide a monthly subsidy after a qualifying DCFS foster placement transitions to guardianship. The written agreement must be executed before the guardianship order. Ask DCFS which payments apply if the child moves to a private guardianship instead.

What happens to the child's benefits when they turn 18?

KinGAP payments continue until age 18 and can extend to 21 if the child has a documented mental or physical disability or the initial agreement was executed after the youth turned 16. Ask DCFS for the age limits on other foster-care or adoption-assistance payments.

See more Illinois guides →