South Carolina Kinship Navigator Program: Free Help from SCDSS for Relative Caregivers

What the Kinship Navigator Program Does

The South Carolina Department of Social Services runs a Kinship Navigator Program that connects relatives and fictive kin raising children with local resources. The navigator provides referrals and benefit guidance; contact the county office for details about how the program can help with your situation.

The program connects kinship caregivers with:

• Benefits guidance — which programs you and the child qualify for (TANF child-only, Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, childcare scholarships) and how to apply
• County DSS office routing — which office handles your application, who to ask for, and what forms to bring
• Legal referrals — connections to South Carolina Legal Services and the SC Bar for guardianship, power of attorney, or custody questions
• Emergency resources — food pantries, clothing assistance, utility help, and housing referrals through local partners
• Support group connections — local and statewide grandparent and kinship caregiver support groups

The navigator doesn't make eligibility decisions or process your application. That still happens through the regular SCDSS county office (for TANF and SNAP) or SCDHHS (for Medicaid). The navigator's job is to help you figure out what to apply for, where to go, and how to prepare your paperwork so the application doesn't stall.

How to Reach the Program

SCDSS operates kinship care services through its county offices across all 46 South Carolina counties. The central kinship care information page is at dss.sc.gov/child-well-being/kinship-care/.

To connect with a kinship care coordinator:

1. Call your county DSS office and ask to speak with the kinship care coordinator
2. Visit the SCDSS kinship care page for contact information
3. Call SC 211 (dial 2-1-1) for local community referrals such as food, utility, or housing help. For the SCDSS Kinship Navigator itself, contact your county DSS office.

If you want help with benefits screening or applications, SC Thrive (phone (800) 726-8774) is a non-profit resource that offers that assistance separately from making official eligibility decisions.

What a Coordinator Can Help With

A kinship care coordinator is most useful at two points:

When the child first arrives: You're suddenly responsible for a child you didn't plan to raise. You need to get them into school, to a doctor, and figure out how to pay for everything. The coordinator can walk you through the immediate priorities — which benefits to apply for first (typically TANF child-only and Medicaid, since these have the fewest barriers), what documents you need, and how to handle school enrollment without a custody order.

When something goes wrong with a benefit application: Your TANF application was denied because the caseworker counted your income. Your SNAP case was closed at renewal. You missed a deadline and lost coverage. A coordinator can help you understand what happened and connect you with the right person to fix it — or refer you to SC Legal Services if a fair hearing appeal is needed.

What the Navigator Program Does Not Do

The Kinship Navigator is not a substitute for a caseworker or attorney:

• It doesn't manage your case. You still deal directly with the SCDSS or SCDHHS caseworker assigned to your benefit applications.
• It doesn't represent you in appeals. If you need to fight a denial at a fair hearing, you need South Carolina Legal Services or a private attorney.
• It doesn't override caseworker decisions. A navigator can explain the rules and help you prepare documentation, but they can't force a county office to process your application differently.
• It doesn't provide direct financial assistance. The navigator connects you with programs — it doesn't have its own pot of money to distribute.

The Area Agency on Aging Alternative

If you're 55 or older and raising a grandchild or relative's child under 18, the Title III-E National Family Caregiver Support Program offers a parallel set of services through your regional Area Agency on Aging (AAA). These include respite care (temporary childcare so you can take a break), support groups, caregiver training, counseling, and limited emergency funds for things like clothing and school supplies.

Contact GetCareSC at (800) 868-9095 to find your local AAA.

These two programs — the SCDSS Kinship Navigator and the AAA's caregiver support — serve different functions but complement each other. The navigator helps with benefits applications and agency routing. The AAA helps with the daily demands of caregiving itself.

For a complete map of every financial program, application process, and document checklist for South Carolina kinship caregivers, our guide brings it all together in one place.

See more South Carolina guides →