South Carolina Kinship Foster Care Payments

How Kinship Foster Care Works in South Carolina

Kinship foster care is not the same as informal kinship care. In kinship foster care, the child has been formally removed from the parent's home and placed in SCDSS legal custody. SCDSS then places the child with a relative who has been approved and licensed as a foster parent under S.C. Code § 63-7-2320.

This arrangement carries the highest monthly payments available to relative caregivers in South Carolina — significantly more than the $229 child-only TANF grant that informal caregivers receive.

Monthly Board Rates

Licensed relative foster parents receive the same maintenance rates as non-relative foster parents:

• Ages 0–5: $670 per month ($21.47 per day)
• Ages 6–12: $783 per month ($25.07 per day)
• Special circumstances (therapeutic, medically complex): $27.92–$32.00 per day

These payments are classified as reimbursement for the cost of care, not as income. They are excluded from gross income for TANF and Medicaid determinations.

Children in foster care automatically receive full Medicaid coverage and qualify for the SC Voucher child care scholarship with copayments waived.

Licensing Requirements

To become a licensed relative foster parent, you must complete SCDSS's approval process:

• Background checks (criminal history, child abuse registry, sex offender registry)
• Home inspection meeting health and safety standards
• Mandatory pre-service training (typically MAPP or a state-approved equivalent)
• Fire inspection and adequate sleeping space for the child

The process can take several weeks to several months. Ask SCDSS what support is available while licensing is pending; the rates above are the full maintenance rates for licensed relative foster parents.

The Financial Gap Between Arrangements

The payment difference between caregiving arrangements is stark:

A grandmother caring for her 10-year-old grandchild receives $229 per month informally. The same grandmother, if SCDSS has custody and she becomes licensed, receives $783 — more than three times as much.

But foster care comes with trade-offs. SCDSS retains legal custody of the child, caseworkers conduct regular visits, and you operate within the foster care system's rules. For many relatives, this oversight is a reasonable exchange for significantly more financial support and automatic Medicaid.

The Path From Foster Care to KinGAP

Licensed kinship foster care is also the required entry point for KinGAP (Kinship Guardianship Assistance Program). After at least six consecutive months of licensed foster placement, if reunification and adoption are ruled out, you can negotiate a KinGAP subsidy agreement with SCDSS. The child then exits foster care into your legal guardianship with an ongoing monthly payment.

The KinGAP agreement must be signed before the court enters the guardianship order. Finalizing guardianship first permanently disqualifies you from KinGAP.

Is Kinship Foster Care Right for Your Situation?

If the child is already in SCDSS custody or you believe a child welfare case may be opened, ask your caseworker about relative licensing. The SCDSS Kinship Navigator program connects relatives to county coordinators who can explain the licensing process for your specific situation.

The South Carolina Kinship Financial Help Guide compares every payment pathway side by side — informal care, foster care, and KinGAP — with the eligibility requirements and documents you need for each.

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