Kinship Care California: What Grandparents and Relatives Need to Know

What Kinship Care Actually Means in California

When a parent can't care for a child — because of addiction, incarceration, illness, military deployment or death — a grandparent, aunt, uncle or older sibling often steps in overnight. California calls this kinship care: a relative or close family friend raising a child outside the formal foster care system, usually without a court order.

It happens more often than most people think. And the immediate problem is almost never love or willingness. It's paperwork. The child needs to start school on Monday. They need to see a doctor. They need immunizations. And no one at the front desk knows what to do with a grandmother who doesn't have custody papers.

California law actually provides a clear path for this — the Caregiver's Authorization Affidavit under Family Code Sections 6550–6552. You don't need a court order, a lawyer or a notary. But the gap between what the law says and what a school registrar or clinic receptionist demands can be wide.

The Caregiver's Authorization Affidavit

The core legal tool is the Caregiver's Authorization Affidavit, published by the Judicial Council of California (revised January 1, 2026). It works on a two-tier system:

Items 1–4 (any adult caregiver): If the child lives with you and you're at least 18, completing the first four items lets you enroll the child in school and consent to school-related medical care — immunizations, sports physicals, emergency first aid on school grounds.

Items 5–8 (qualified relatives only): If you're related to the child by blood, marriage or adoption within the fifth degree — grandparent, aunt, uncle, adult sibling, adult niece or nephew, stepparent — completing items 5 through 8 gives you the same medical consent authority as a court-appointed guardian under Probate Code Section 2353. That covers routine doctor visits, dental care, prescriptions and specialist referrals.

The affidavit doesn't require a parent's signature, a notary stamp or a court filing. You sign it yourself under penalty of perjury.

School Enrollment Without a Court Order

Under Education Code Section 48204(a)(5), a child living with a caregiver who has completed the affidavit meets district residency requirements without custody papers. The district can ask for reasonable proof of your address (utility bill, lease, driver's license). School attendance remains subject to immunization and other school-entry requirements.

If the school pushes back, you have a clear escalation path: present the statutory text, escalate to the District Director of Student Services, and if enrollment is still blocked, file a Uniform Complaint Procedure grievance with the school board.

Medical Consent: What You Can and Can't Authorize

Relatives with a completed affidavit can consent to medical and dental care: checkups, immunizations, prescriptions, dental cleanings, and specialist visits. Medical care may include mental health treatment subject to Probate Code Section 2356.

For a child under probate guardianship who is 14 or older, Probate Code Section 2353 generally requires the child's and guardian's consent or a court order for surgery; the guardian may consent alone in a qualifying emergency. Other limits include court authorization rules for psychotropic medication for dependent children and separate procedures for involuntary psychiatric admission.

Non-relative caregivers — a family friend or godparent — are limited to school-related medical care only under the affidavit. For specified medical or dental care beyond school, a parent, legal guardian, or relative caregiver authorized under Family Code Section 6550 can give them a written authorization under Section 6910; a court order is another route.

Support Programs for Kinship Caregivers

California runs several programs specifically for relatives raising a child:

Kinship Support Services Program (KSSP): Some counties offer services such as support groups, respite care, health management and referrals for relative caregivers. Availability and services vary by county.

CalWORKs Child-Only Grant: A monthly cash grant for the child, calculated on the child's income alone — the caregiver's own income doesn't count.

Medi-Cal: Children in kinship care are often eligible for full-scope Medi-Cal regardless of the caregiver's income. Apply through your county welfare office or the BenefitsCal portal.

Kin-GAP: For caregivers who were previously approved foster parents for the child, Kin-GAP provides ongoing monthly payments after the dependency case closes.

When You Might Need Something More

The affidavit handles day-to-day school and medical decisions, but it doesn't change legal custody. A parent can still override your decisions. If the parent is actively obstructing the child's care, if you need to make major medical decisions the affidavit doesn't cover, or if you want legal stability that survives a parent showing up and taking the child — that's when probate guardianship becomes the better path.

Guardianship means filing a petition with Superior Court (Form GC-210), paying a filing fee, and going through a court investigation. It's more expensive and more time-consuming, but it gives you full legal authority.

For most caregivers in the early weeks and months, the affidavit is enough to get the child enrolled, seen by a doctor, and settled in. The court route can wait until you know whether it's needed.

Getting Started

The official Caregiver's Authorization Affidavit form is free from the California Courts Self-Help Portal. If you want line-by-line instructions for filling it out, escalation letter templates for schools and clinics that push back, and a clear walkthrough of when the affidavit is enough versus when you need more, the School and Medical Consent Guide for California covers the entire process.

See more California guides →