‘‘SEC. 472A. LEGAL GUARDIANSHIP ASSISTANCE PAYMENTS 
FOR CHILDREN. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Each State with a plan approved 
under this part may, at State option, enter into legal 
guardianship assistance agreements to provide legal 
guardianship assistance payments on behalf of children to 
individuals who have assumed legal guardianship (as de-
fined in section 475(7)) of children for whom they have 
cared as foster parents and whom they have committed 
to care for on a permanent basis. 
‘‘(b) LEGAL GUARDIANSHIP ASSISTANCE AGREE-
MENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—In order to receive pay-
ments under section 474(a)(5)— 
‘‘(A) a State shall— 
‘‘(i) negotiate and enter into a written 
legal guardianship assistance agreement 
with the prospective legal guardian of a 
child who meets the requirements of sub-
section (d); 
‘‘(ii) provide the prospective legal 
guardian with a copy of the agreement; 
and 
‘‘(iii) certify that any child on whose 
behalf legal guardianship assistance pay-
ments are made under such an agreement
shall be provided medical assistance under 
title XIX in accordance with section 
1902(a)(10)(A)(i)(I); and 
‘‘(B) the chief executive officer of the State 
shall certify to the Secretary that the State 
will— 
‘‘(i) inform the individuals who pre-
pare the case plan for a child of the full 
range of permanency options available to 
children, including guardianship, and pro-
vide or otherwise make accessible to the in-
dividuals information on the range of phys-
ical and mental health, financing, housing, 
counseling, employment, education, and 
other support services which guardians and 
children may receive; and 
‘‘(ii) 
inform 
families 
considering 
guardianship of all permanency options 
available to the child and of the range of 
physical and mental health, financial, 
housing, counseling, employment, edu-
cation, and other support services which 
guardians and children may receive. 
‘‘(2) MINIMUM
REQUIREMENTS.—The agree-
ment shall specify, at a minimum—
‘‘(A) the amount of, and manner in which, 
each legal guardianship assistance payment, if 
any, will be provided under the agreement; 
‘‘(B) the additional services and assistance 
for which the child and legal guardian will be 
eligible under the agreement; 
‘‘(C) the procedure by which the legal 
guardian may apply for additional services as 
needed, provided the agency and legal guardian 
agree on the additional services as specified in 
the case plan; and 
‘‘(D) subject to paragraph (4), that the 
State will pay the nonrecurring expenses associ-
ated with obtaining legal guardianship of the 
child. 
‘‘(3) INTERSTATE
APPLICATION.—The agree-
ment shall provide— 
‘‘(A) that the agreement shall remain in 
effect without regard to the State residency of 
the legal guardian; and 
‘‘(B) for the protection (under an inter-
state compact approved by the Secretary or oth-
erwise) of the interests of the child in any case 
where the legal guardian and the child move to 
another State while the agreement is in effect.
‘‘(4) NONRECURRING
EXPENSES
ASSOCIATED 
WITH OBTAINING LEGAL GUARDIANSHIP.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of para-
graph (2)(D), the term ‘nonrecurring expenses 
associated with obtaining legal guardianship’ in-
cludes the reasonable and necessary fees, court 
costs, attorneys’ fees, and other expenses that 
are directly related to obtaining legal guardian-
ship of the child and are not incurred in viola-
tion of Federal or State law. 
‘‘(B) FEDERAL
SHARE.—A State’s pay-
ment of the nonrecurring expenses associated 
with obtaining legal guardianship shall be treat-
ed as an expenditure made for the proper and 
efficient administration of the State plan under 
section 474(a)(3)(E). 
‘‘(c) LEGAL
GUARDIANSHIP
ASSISTANCE
PAY-
MENT.— 
‘‘(1) REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The legal guardian-
ship assistance payment shall be— 
‘‘(i) negotiated as part of the legal 
guardianship assistance agreement re-
quired under subsection (b)(1)(A)(i) be-
tween the legal guardian and the State or
local agency responsible for administering 
the agreement; 
‘‘(ii) based on consideration of the cir-
cumstances and the needs of the legal 
guardian and the child; and 
‘‘(iii) equal to the amount of the fos-
ter care maintenance payment which would 
have been payable with respect to the child 
if the child had remained in foster care. 
‘‘(B) READJUSTMENT.—The legal guard-
ianship assistance payment may be readjusted 
periodically, with the concurrence of the legal 
guardian, based on relevant changes in the 
needs of the legal guardian and the child. 
‘‘(2) LIMITATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), a legal guardianship assist-
ance payment may not be made with respect to 
a child who has attained 18 years of age. 
‘‘(B) EXCEPTIONS.—A legal guardianship 
assistance payment may be made with respect 
to a child who— 
‘‘(i) is a full-time student in a sec-
ondary school or in the equivalent level of
a vocational or technical training program, 
and has not attained 19 years of age; or 
‘‘(ii) the State determines has a men-
tal or physical disability that warrants the 
continuation of assistance until the child 
attains 21 years of age. 
‘‘(d) CHILD’S ELIGIBILITY FOR A LEGAL GUARDIAN-
SHIP ASSISTANCE PAYMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—A child is eligible for a 
legal guardianship assistance payment under this 
section if the State agency determines the following: 
‘‘(A) The child— 
‘‘(i) has been under the care of the 
State agency for the 12-month period end-
ing on the date of the agency determina-
tion; and 
‘‘(ii) while under such care, was eligi-
ble for foster care maintenance payments 
under section 472 or would have been eligi-
ble for such payments but for his or her 
placement in the unlicensed home of a rel-
ative determined by the courts and the 
State agency responsible for child protec-
tive services to be safe and the best home 
for the child.
‘‘(B) Being returned home or adopted are 
not appropriate permanency options for the 
child. 
‘‘(C) The child demonstrates a strong at-
tachment to the prospective legal guardian and 
the prospective legal guardian has a strong 
commitment to caring permanently for the 
child. 
‘‘(D) With respect to a child who has at-
tained 14 years of age, the child has been con-
sulted regarding the legal guardianship ar-
rangement. 
‘‘(2) TREATMENT OF SIBLINGS.—With respect 
to a child described in paragraph (1) whose sibling 
or siblings are not so described— 
‘‘(A) the child and any minor sibling of the 
child may be placed in the same legal guardian-
ship arrangement if the State agency and the 
prospective legal guardian agree on the appro-
priateness of the arrangement for the siblings; 
and 
‘‘(B) legal guardianship assistance pay-
ments may be paid for the child and each sib-
ling so placed.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—
(1) 
STATE
PLAN
REQUIREMENT.—Section 
471(a)(20)(A) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 671(a)(20)) is 
amended in the matter preceding clause (i) by strik-
ing ‘‘foster or adoptive parent before the foster or 
adoptive parent may be finally approved for place-
ment of a child on whose behalf foster care mainte-
nance payments or adoption assistance payments’’ 
and inserting ‘‘foster parent, adoptive parent, or 
legal guardian before the foster parent, adoptive par-
ent, or legal guardian may be finally approved for 
placement of a child on whose behalf foster care 
maintenance payments, adoption assistance pay-
ments, or legal guardianship assistance payments’’. 
(2) PAYMENTS TO STATES.—Section 474(a) of 
such Act (42 U.S.C. 674(a)) is amended— 
(A) in paragraph (3)(B), by striking ‘‘fos-
ter or adoptive parents and the members of the 
staff of State-licensed or State-approved child 
care institutions providing care to foster and 
adopted children receiving assistance under this 
part, in ways that increase the ability of such 
current or prospective parents, staff members, 
and institutions to provide support and assist-
ance to foster and adopted children,’’ and in-
serting ‘‘foster parents, adoptive parents, or
legal guardians and the members of the staff of 
State-licensed or State-approved child care in-
stitutions providing care to foster children, 
adoptive children, or children living with a legal 
guardian, who are receiving assistance under 
this part, in ways that increase the ability of 
such current or prospective parents, legal 
guardians, staff members, and institutions to 
provide support and assistance to foster chil-
dren, adoptive children, or children living with 
a legal guardian,’’; 
(B) in paragraph (4)(B), by striking the 
period at the end and inserting ‘‘; plus’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) an amount equal to the Federal medical 
assistance percentage (as defined in section 1905(b)) 
of the total amount expended during such quarter as 
legal guardianship assistance payments under sec-
tion 472A pursuant to legal guardianship assistance 
agreements.’’. 
(3) DEFINITIONS.—Section 475(1) of such Act 
(42 U.S.C. 675(1)) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(F) In the case of a child with respect to 
whom the permanency plan is placement with a
legal guardian and receipt of legal guardianship 
assistance payments under section 472A, a de-
scription of— 
‘‘(i) the steps that the agency has 
taken to determine that it is not appro-
priate for the child to be returned home or 
adopted; 
‘‘(ii) the reasons why a permanent 
placement with a fit and willing legal 
guardian through a legal guardianship as-
sistance arrangement is in the child’s best 
interests; 
‘‘(iii) the ways in which the child 
meets the eligibility requirements for a 
legal guardianship assistance payment; 
‘‘(iv) the efforts the agency has made 
to discuss adoption by the child’s foster 
parent as a more permanent alternative to 
legal guardianship and, in the case of a 
foster parent who has chosen not to pursue 
adoption, documentation of the reasons 
therefor; and 
‘‘(v) the efforts made by the State 
agency to secure the consent of the child’s 
parent or parents to the legal guardianship
assistance arrangement, or the reasons 
why the efforts were not made.’’. 
(4) ADOPTION ASSISTANCE.—Section 473(a) of 
such Act (42 U.S.C. 673(a)) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(7)(A) For purposes of this section (other than the 
last sentence of paragraph (2)), a child leaving a legal 
guardianship shall be considered to be leaving foster care, 
and the child shall be considered to have been in foster 
care while subject to the legal guardianship. 
‘‘(B) In the case of a child who is leaving a legal 
guardianship, the last sentence of paragraph (2) shall be 
applied by treating the guardianship as an adoption, the 
end of the guardianship as the dissolution of an adoption, 
and any eligibility of the child for legal guardianship as-
sistance payments under section 472A as eligibility for 
adoption assistance payments under this part.’’. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The amendments made by 
this section take effect on the 1st day of the 1st cal-
endar quarter that begins after the date of the en-
actment of this Act, and shall apply to payments 
under part E of title IV of the Social Security Act 
for calendar quarters beginning on or after such
day, without regard to whether regulations to imple-
ment the amendments have been issued. 
(2) DELAY PERMITTED IF STATE LEGISLATION 
REQUIRED.—In the case of a State plan under part 
E of title IV of the Social Security Act which the 
Secretary determines requires State legislation in 
order for the plan to meet the additional require-
ments imposed by the amendments made by this 
Act, the effective date of the amendments imposing 
the additional requirements shall be the 1st day of 
the 1st calendar quarter beginning after the close of 
the 1st regular session of the State legislature that 
begins after the date of the enactment of this Act. 
For purposes of the preceding sentence, in the case 
of a State that has a 2-year legislative session, each 
year of the session shall be considered to be a sepa-
rate regular session of the State legislature.
TITLE 
II—ADDITIONAL 
SUP-
PORTS FOR GUARDIANS AND 
KINSHIP PROVIDERS 
SEC. 201. AUTHORITY TO USE FOSTER CARE INDEPEND-
ENCE PROGRAM FUNDS TO PROVIDE INDE-
PENDENT LIVING SERVICES, EDUCATION AND 
TRAINING 
VOUCHERS, 
AND 
ROOM 
AND 
BOARD FOR CHILDREN WHO EXIT FOSTER 
CARE 
TO 
GUARDIANSHIP 
OR 
ADOPTION 
AFTER ATTAINING AGE 14. 
(a) 
INDEPENDENT
LIVING
SERVICES.—Section 
477(a) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 677(a)) is 
amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 
(5); 
(2) by striking the period at the end of para-
graph (6) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(7) to provide the services referred to in this 
subsection to children who, after attaining 14 years 
of age, have left foster care for legal guardianship 
or adoption.’’. 
(b) EDUCATION AND TRAINING VOUCHERS.—Section 
477(i)(2) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 677(i)(2)) is amended 
by striking ‘‘from foster care after attaining age 16’’ and
inserting ‘‘or entering legal guardianship from foster care 
after attaining 14 years of age’’. 
SEC. 202. EXPANSION OF DEFINITION OF FAMILY SUPPORT 
SERVICES TO INCLUDE ASSISTING KINSHIP 
CAREGIVERS OR GUARDIANS IN LOCATING 
AND ACCESSING NEEDED SERVICES. 
Section 431(a)(2) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 629a(a)(2)) is amended by inserting ‘‘to assist kin-
ship caregivers or guardians in locating and accessing 
needed services,’’ after ‘‘marriages,’’. 
SEC. 203. FLEXIBILITY TO ESTABLISH SEPARATE STAND-
ARDS 
FOR 
RELATIVE 
FOSTER 
FAMILY 
HOMES. 
Section 471(a)(10) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 671(a)(10)) is amended by inserting before the 
semicolon the following: ‘‘, and that the authority or au-
thorities may— 
‘‘(A) establish and maintain separate standards 
for foster family homes in which a foster parent is 
a relative of the foster child, that, at a minimum, 
protect the safety of the child and provide for crimi-
nal records checks as described in paragraph (20); 
and 
‘‘(B) apply the standards referred to in sub-
paragraph (A) of this paragraph to any such relative
foster care provider to whom funds are paid pursu-
ant to section 472 or part B in lieu of the standards 
that would otherwise apply to a foster family 
home.’’. 
SEC. 204. NOTICE TO RELATIVES WHEN CHILDREN ENTER 
FOSTER CARE. 
Section 471(a)(19) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 671(a)(19)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘that the State’’ and inserting 
‘‘that— 
‘‘(A) the State’’; 
(2) by adding ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) within 60 days of the removal of the 
child from the custody of the child’s parent or 
parents, the State shall identify and give notice 
to all adult grandparents and other adult rel-
atives of the child (including any other adult 
relatives suggested by the parents), subject to 
exceptions due to family or domestic violence, 
that— 
‘‘(i) specifies that the child has been 
or is being removed from the custody of 
the child’s parent or parents; and
‘‘(ii) explains the options the relative 
has under Federal, State, and local law to 
participate in the child’s care and place-
ment, including any options that may be 
lost by failing to respond to the notice;’’. 
SEC. 205. EXPANSION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR FOSTER CARE 
INDEPENDENCE PROGRAM. 
Section 477 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
677) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘18’’ and 
inserting ‘‘14’’; and 
(2) in subsection (i)(2), by striking ‘‘youths 
adopted from foster care after attaining age 16’’ and 
inserting ‘‘youths in or exiting from foster care after 
attaining 14 years of age’’. 
TITLE III—NAVIGATOR 
PROGRAM 
SEC. 301. PURPOSE. 
The purposes of this title are— 
(1) to establish kinship navigator programs in 
States, large metropolitan areas, and tribal areas to 
assist kinship caregivers in navigating their way 
through programs and services, to help the care-
givers learn about and obtain assistance to meet the
needs of the children they are raising and their own 
needs; and 
(2) to promote effective partnerships among 
public and private not-for-profit agencies, including 
community-based and faith-based agencies, to help 
the agencies described in this paragraph more effec-
tively and efficiently serve kinship care families and 
address the fragmentation that creates barriers to 
meeting the needs of those families. 
SEC. 302. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
(1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 
(2) KINSHIP CARE FAMILY.—The term ‘‘kinship 
care family’’ means a family with a kinship care-
giver. 
(3) KINSHIP CAREGIVER.—The term ‘‘kinship 
caregiver’’ means a grandparent or stepgrandparent 
of a child, a relative of a child by blood, marriage, 
or adoption, or (at the option of a State) any other 
person who has strong emotional bonds with a child, 
who— 
(A) lives with the child; 
(B) is the primary caregiver of the child 
because the biological or adoptive parent of the
child is unable or unwilling to serve as the pri-
mary caregiver of the child; and 
(C) has a legal relationship to the child or 
is raising the child informally. 
(4) LARGE
METROPOLITAN
AREA.—The term 
‘‘large metropolitan area’’ means a metropolitan sta-
tistical area, as defined by the Bureau of the Cen-
sus, with a population of not less than 1,000,000. 
(5) METROPOLITAN AGENCY.—The term ‘‘met-
ropolitan agency’’ means an agency serving a large 
metropolitan area, or a county or political subdivi-
sion of a large metropolitan area. 
(6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means any of 
the several States, the District of Columbia, the Vir-
gin Islands of the United States, the Commonwealth 
of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 
(7) TRIBAL
AREA.—The term ‘‘tribal area’’ 
means the area served by a tribal organization. 
(8) TRIBAL ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘tribal 
organization’’— 
(A) means a tribal organization, as defined 
in section 658P of the Child Care and Develop-
ment Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 
9858n); and
(B) includes a consortium of tribal organi-
zations described in subparagraph (A). 
SEC. 303. GRANTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make grants 
to eligible entities to pay for the Federal share of the cost 
of carrying out kinship navigator programs. 
(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive a 
grant under this section, an entity shall be a State agency, 
metropolitan agency, or tribal organization, with experi-
ence in— 
(1) addressing the needs of kinship caregivers 
or children; and 
(2) connecting the children or caregivers with 
appropriate services and assistance, such as services 
and assistance provided by— 
(A) an area agency on aging under the 
Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3001 
et seq.); or 
(B) an agency with jurisdiction over child 
welfare, 
income-based 
financial 
assistance, 
human services, or health matters, or a public 
entity that links family resource and support 
programs, for the State, large metropolitan 
area, or Indian tribe involved.
(c) ALLOCATION OF GRANTS.—Of the funds made 
available for grants under this section for each fiscal year, 
the Secretary shall use not less than 50 percent to make 
grants to State agencies. 
(d) DURATION OF THE GRANTS.—In making the 
grants, the Secretary shall make grants— 
(1) in fiscal year 2006, for periods of 3 years; 
(2) in fiscal year 2007, for periods of 2 years; 
and 
(3) in fiscal year 2008, for periods of 1 year. 
SEC. 304. FEDERAL SHARE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Federal share of the cost of 
carrying out a kinship navigator program under a grant 
shall be— 
(1) 100 percent in the first year of the grant 
period; 
(2) 75 percent in the second year (if any) of the 
grant period; and 
(3) 50 percent in the third year (if any) of the 
grant period. 
(b) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non-Federal share 
of the cost may be provided in cash. Not more than 50 
percent of the non-Federal share of the cost may be pro-
vided in kind, fairly evaluated, including plant, equipment, 
or services.
SEC. 305. APPLICATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a grant 
under this title, an entity shall submit an application to 
the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and con-
taining such information as the Secretary may require, in-
cluding, at a minimum, the information described in sub-
section (b). 
(b) CONTENTS.—The application shall include the 
following: 
(1) A description of the steps the entity will 
take during the first 6 months of the grant period 
to— 
(A) identify gaps in services for kinship 
care families in the State, large metropolitan 
area, or tribal area to be served and the specific 
activities that are needed to bridge the gaps; 
(B) convene a group of partners to assist 
in the operation of the kinship navigator pro-
gram funded through the grant; 
(C) utilize or develop relevant technology; 
(D) conduct outreach to kinship caregivers 
about the kinship navigator program; and 
(E) develop a plan for reaching kinship 
caregivers, ensuring that the caregivers can ac-
cess the kinship navigator program, and fol-
lowing up to ensure that the caregivers actually 
receive necessary services and supports. 
(2) An assurance that the entity will provide at 
least the core activities specified in paragraphs (1) 
and (2) of section 306(b) for kinship care families 
through the kinship navigator program. 
(3) A description of the activities the entity ex-
pects to offer over the grant period and the entity’s 
initial projection of the number of children and kin-
ship caregivers likely to be served. 
(4) A description of how the entity will involve 
in the planning and operation of the kinship navi-
gator program, on an ongoing basis— 
(A) kinship caregivers; 
(B) youth raised or being raised by kinship 
caregivers; 
(C) representatives of kinship care support 
organizations; 
(D) relevant government agencies (includ-
ing agencies with jurisdiction over matters re-
lating to aging, mental health, mental retarda-
tion or developmental disabilities, substance 
abuse treatment, health, youth services, human 
services, education, income-based financial as-
sistance, child welfare, child custody, guardian-
ship, adoption, or child support enforcement); 
(E)(i) not-for-profit service providers, in-
cluding community-based and faith-based agen-
cies; and 
(ii) educational institutions; and 
(F) other State or local agencies or sys-
tems that promote service coordination or pro-
vide information and referral services, including 
the entities that provide the 2–1–1 or 3–1–1 in-
formation systems where applicable. 
(5) A description of— 
(A) how the entity will coordinate its ac-
tivities with other State or local agencies or sys-
tems that promote service coordination or pro-
vide information and referral services for chil-
dren, families, or older individuals, including 
the entities that provide the 2–1–1 or 3–1–1 in-
formation systems where applicable, so as to 
avoid duplication of services and the fragmenta-
tion of services that prevents kinship care fami-
lies from getting the help the families need; and 
(B) how the entity will encourage regional 
cooperation among agencies, particularly agen-
cies serving border communities that may cross
jurisdictional lines, to ensure that kinship care 
families will get help. 
(6) An assurance that the entity will report at 
least annually to the Secretary, in a manner pre-
scribed by the Secretary, to ensure comparability of 
data across States, on— 
(A) activities established with the funds 
made available through grants made under this 
title; 
(B) the numbers and ages of the children 
and caregivers assisted through the grants; 
(C) the types of the assistance provided; 
(D) the outcomes achieved with the assist-
ance; and 
(E) the barriers identified to meeting the 
needs of kinship care families and plans for ad-
dressing the barriers. 
(7) An assurance that the entity, not later than 
3 months after the end of the final year of the grant 
period, will submit a final report to the Administra-
tion for Children and Families that describes— 
(A) the numbers and ages of the children 
and caregivers assisted through the grants; 
(B) the types of assistance provided;
(C) the outcomes achieved with the assist-
ance; 
(D) the barriers to meeting the needs of 
kinship care families that were addressed 
through the grants; 
(E) the plans of the entity to continue the 
kinship navigator program after the grant pe-
riod has ended; 
(F) lessons learned during the grant pe-
riod; and 
(G) recommendations about the consider-
ations that should be taken into account as the 
program carried out under this title is expanded 
throughout the Nation. 
(c) PREFERENCE.—In awarding grants under this 
title, the Secretary shall give preference to agencies or or-
ganizations that can demonstrate that the agencies and 
organizations will offer the full array of activities de-
scribed in section 306(b). 
SEC. 306. USE OF GRANT FUNDS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—An entity that receives a grant 
under this title may use the funds made available through 
the grant directly, or through grants or contracts with 
other public or private not-for-profit agencies, including 
community-based or faith-based agencies, that have expe-
rience in connecting kinship caregivers with appropriate 
services and assistance. 
(b) USE OF FUNDS.—An entity that receives a grant 
under this title may use the funds made available through 
the grant for activities that help to connect kinship care-
givers with the services and assistance required to meet 
the needs of the children the caregivers are raising and 
their own needs, such as— 
(1) establishing and maintaining information 
and referral systems that— 
(A) assist, through toll free access that in-
cludes access to a live operator, kinship care-
givers, kinship care service providers, kinship 
care support group facilitators, and others to 
learn about and link to— 
(i) local kinship care service providers, 
support groups, respite care programs, and 
special services for incarcerated parents; 
(ii) eligibility and enrollment informa-
tion for Federal, State, and local benefits, 
such as— 
(I) 
education 
(including 
pre-
school, elementary, secondary, post-
secondary, and special education);
(II) family support services, early 
intervention services, mental health 
services, substance abuse prevention 
and treatment services, services to ad-
dress 
domestic 
violence 
problems, 
services to address HIV or AIDS, 
legal services, child support, housing 
assistance, and child care; 
(III) the disability insurance ben-
efits program established under title 
II of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 401 et seq.); 
(IV) the program of block grants 
to States for temporary assistance for 
needy families established under part 
A of title IV of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.); 
(V) the supplemental security in-
come program established under title 
XVI of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 1381 et seq.); 
(VI) the medicaid program estab-
lished under title XIX of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.);
(VII) the State children’s health 
insurance program established under 
title XXI of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1397aa et seq.); 
(VIII) the program of Federal 
payments for foster care and adoption 
assistance established under part E of 
title IV of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 670 et seq.), including the pro-
gram of kinship guardianship assist-
ance payments for children established 
under section 472A of that Act; and 
(IX) the food stamp program es-
tablished under the Food Stamp Act 
of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.); 
(iii) relevant training to assist kinship 
caregivers in obtaining benefits and serv-
ices and performing their caregiving activi-
ties; and 
(iv) relevant legal assistance and help 
in obtaining access to legal services, includ-
ing access to legal aid service providers 
and statewide elder law hotlines; 
(B) provide outreach to kinship care fami-
lies, in collaboration with schools, pediatric care