Promoting Permanency Through Kinship Families Act

H.R. 5583 would amend federal child welfare law to promote kinship care as a permanency option for children in the foster care system. The bill would require states to actively identify and locate relatives and close family friends as potential caregivers for children who cannot be safely cared for by their parents, and to make efforts to keep children in kinship placements once established. The legislation would also expand support services and resources available to relatives and fictive kin who take on caregiving responsibilities, addressing financial and other barriers these families often face when caring for children. The bill is currently in committee and has not yet been voted on by the full House.