North Dakota Kinship-ND Program: What It Offers Caregivers

If you are a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or other relative raising a child in North Dakota, there is a state program built specifically for your situation. Kinship-ND, run by the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Child and Family Services division, connects eligible kinship caregivers with navigation support, community resources, and financial help toward legal guardianship. It does not itself open a child-protection case or seek child support from biological parents.

What Kinship-ND Actually Does

Kinship-ND is not foster care or a child-welfare investigation. It is a support program for eligible kinship caregivers, including some families working with state or tribal child-welfare agencies.

The core services include:

• Navigator support — A caseworker helps you identify benefits the child may qualify for, connects you with local agencies, and walks you through the paperwork for things like Medicaid, school enrollment, and TANF child-only grants.
• Guardianship legal-cost funding — Kinship-ND provides financial assistance to help eligible caregivers with legal costs when establishing formal guardianship through Juvenile Court. To access this funding, you must already be enrolled in Kinship-ND services.
• Support groups and community connections — The program links caregivers with others in similar situations across the state, which can matter enormously in rural areas where isolation compounds the stress of sudden caregiving.
• No child support enforcement — Unlike TANF, applying for Kinship-ND does not trigger a child support case against the biological parents.

Who Qualifies

Eligibility is straightforward:

• You must be a North Dakota resident
• You must be raising a child who is not your biological child
• The biological parents cannot be living in your home
• You cannot be a licensed foster parent for the child

You do not need a court order, a power of attorney, or any formal legal status to apply. Informal caregivers — grandparents, aunts, uncles, family friends — are the program's primary audience.

How to Apply

Contact Kinship-ND directly:

• Phone: (701) 328-1453
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: hhs.nd.gov/cfs/kinshipnd

The intake process involves an application form (SFN 408). A navigator will be assigned to your case after enrollment, and they can help you assess whether guardianship, a Minor Power of Attorney, or another legal arrangement is the right fit for your situation.

Kinship-ND vs. TANF Child-Only Assistance

This is a distinction that trips up a lot of caregivers. Both programs can help, but they work differently.

TANF child-only cash assistance provides monthly financial help. HHS lists an option to base eligibility on the child's income alone. TANF applicants generally must cooperate with the state's efforts to establish paternity or collect child or medical support, but may claim Good Cause not to cooperate.

Kinship-ND, on the other hand, provides navigation and guardianship funding without touching child support at all. Many caregivers use both — TANF for the monthly cash and Kinship-ND for the navigation support — but the child support requirement under TANF is something you should understand before applying.

Our North Dakota School and Medical Consent Guide walks through the differences between Kinship-ND, TANF, and other programs in plain language, including when each one makes sense for your situation and how to organize the intake paperwork before your first call.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Kinship-ND give me legal custody of the child?

No. Kinship-ND is a support program, not a legal proceeding. It does not issue custody orders or consent documents. However, the guardianship funding it provides can help you establish formal legal authority through Juvenile Court if that becomes necessary.

Can I use Kinship-ND if the child's parent might come back?

Yes. The program serves caregivers in temporary and long-term arrangements alike. If the parent returns and resumes care, your Kinship-ND enrollment simply ends. There is no penalty or ongoing obligation.

Is there a time limit on Kinship-ND services?

The program does not impose a strict time limit on general navigator support. The guardianship funding has its own eligibility requirements and must be applied for separately through the program.

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