Vermont Kinship Caregiver Support and Resources

You're Not Doing This Alone

Raising a grandchild or relative's child can feel isolating, especially when it happened overnight. Vermont has a network of organizations that specifically serve kinship caregivers — people raising children who aren't biologically theirs, often without formal custody. Here's who can help and what they offer.

Vermont Kin as Parents (VKAP)

VKAP is the state's dedicated kinship caregiver organization, run by and for relatives raising children. They operate a warmline at (802) 871-5104 where you can talk to someone who understands what you're going through.

What VKAP offers: peer support groups across the state where you can connect with other grandparents and relatives in the same situation, navigator assistance to help you identify financial benefits and services you may be eligible for, respite resources when you need a break, an annual kinship conference with workshops on legal rights, self-care, and child development, and connections to community resources in your part of Vermont.

VKAP isn't a legal service — they can't draft documents or represent you in court. But they can point you to someone who can, and sometimes having another person who's been through it tell you what worked is worth more than a statute citation.

Legal Services Vermont and Vermont Legal Aid

If you need legal help — understanding your rights, getting guardianship paperwork together, or responding to a school district that's refusing to enroll the child — Legal Services Vermont is the first call. Their intake line is 1-800-889-2047.

Legal Services Vermont and Vermont Legal Aid provide free civil legal advice for income-eligible Vermonters. They can help with guardianship petitions in Probate Court, school enrollment disputes under 16 V.S.A. § 1075, understanding your rights when institutions refuse your caregiver paperwork, and navigating benefit applications.

VTLawHelp.org also has self-help articles on guardianship, school attendance, and housing that you can read any time.

Department for Children and Families (DCF)

DCF's role in kinship care depends on how the child came to live with you. If DCF is involved — meaning there's an open case, a voluntary safety plan, or a CHINS proceeding — your DCF caseworker is a resource for understanding what authority you have and what support is available.

If DCF is not involved and this is a purely informal family arrangement, DCF doesn't typically provide services. Many kinship caregivers deliberately avoid DCF contact because they fear it will trigger foster care proceedings. That fear is understandable, but in most cases, asking DCF about kinship resources doesn't open a child protection investigation.

DCF published a Kinship Caregivers Guide that explains the difference between informal arrangements, voluntary placements, and formal custody. It acknowledges that a parent's written letter granting caregiving authority may help but doesn't guarantee institutional acceptance.

Financial Assistance

Kinship caregivers often don't realize they're eligible for financial help. Key programs include:

Reach Up Child-Only Grants: Cash assistance through DCF's Economic Services Division. Importantly, formal guardianship is not required to receive these grants. Eligibility is evaluated based on the child's situation. Call 1-800-479-6151 to apply.

3SquaresVT (SNAP): Food assistance based on household composition and income. Caregivers should include the child in their household when applying.

Dr. Dynasaur: Vermont's free or low-cost health coverage for children under 19 in households under 312% FPL. You can apply through Vermont Health Connect even without being the child's legal guardian.

Community Action Agencies

Vermont's network of community action agencies can help with emergency needs: fuel assistance, food shelves, housing referrals, and sometimes direct financial aid. They're especially useful in rural areas where travel to state offices is difficult. Find your local agency through the Vermont Community Action Partnership.

What These Resources Can't Do

None of these organizations can themselves grant legal authority over the child. Depending on the decision, authority may come from a parent's delegation, a court order, a statutory minor-consent rule, or an appointment such as an IDEA surrogate parent. If you need medical consent, school decision-making power, or protection against a parent taking the child back unexpectedly, you need legal advice, not just a support group.

Get Everything Organized in One Place

Our Vermont School and Medical Consent Guide includes a verified directory of every resource mentioned here, plus step-by-step guidance on school enrollment, medical consent, and the legal authority options available to Vermont caregivers. It's designed to complement — not replace — the free help that's available.

See more Vermont guides →