Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Alabama

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Voice: Plain, honest, practical. No false comfort. No condescension. She made a choice. Honor it and give her what she needs.

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Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Alabama | InmateAid

You did not plan for this. You raised your children. You got to the other side of it. And then the phone rang, or the grandchildren arrived, or DHR called, or you simply said yes before you had time to think about what yes would mean.

Your child is incarcerated. The grandchildren need a home. You are it.

Alabama has resources for you. The system is slow and the paperwork is real, but the resources exist. Alabama even has a dedicated website -- the Alabama Kinship Navigator at navigator.alabama.gov -- built specifically as a one-stop source for grandparents and relatives raising children. Start there.

Alabama also recently formed a Joint Interim Study Commission on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren, which means the state legislature has formally acknowledged that the number of grandparents in this situation is large enough to require a policy response. You are not an edge case. You are part of a pattern that Alabama is finally paying attention to.

This article is the guide no one handed you.

The Decision You Already Made

You already made the hardest decision. The grandchildren are with you. Everything else in this article is about making that decision workable -- legally, financially, practically.

The paperwork is the door to real resources: money, medical coverage, legal authority. The resources do not come to you. You have to go get them. This article tells you where to go.

A few things to understand about your position in Alabama right now:

If you are caring for grandchildren without any formal legal arrangement, you are an informal caregiver. In Alabama, informal caregivers have no legal authority. You cannot enroll the children in school on your own, cannot authorize non-emergency medical care, cannot make decisions that require a parent's signature. This is fixable.

If DHR placed the children with you because a dependency or delinquency case was opened, you may already be in the DHR system as a relative foster caregiver. Your rights and the financial support available to you depend on which category you are in.

If you arranged care directly with the parent or the children came to you without DHR involvement, you have more flexibility in how you establish legal authority -- but you have to do it yourself.

In almost every case, the first step is the same: establish legal authority. Everything else depends on it.

Legal Authority: What It Is and How to Get It in Alabama

Alabama offers three primary legal relationships for grandparents and relative caregivers. They differ in how they are obtained, how permanent they are, and what rights they give you.

**Temporary Legal Custody**

Temporary Legal Custody in Alabama is established by the Juvenile Court of the county where the child lives. It can be obtained by both DHR and by private individuals -- meaning you can petition the court yourself without DHR involvement.

With Temporary Legal Custody, you have the authority to:

- Enroll the children in school

- Authorize medical, dental, and mental health care

- Apply for benefits in the child's name

- Make day-to-day decisions for the children

A parent's incarceration is documented grounds for a court to find that the parent cannot care for the child. You do not need the incarcerated parent's consent if you can demonstrate that the parent is unable to care for the children.

Contact your county's DHR office or a legal aid organization for help with the petition. The Alabama Kinship Navigator (navigator.alabama.gov) can help you find legal services in your county.

**Kinship Guardianship**

Kinship Guardianship is established by the Juvenile Court and is specifically designed for relatives caring for children who are in the Alabama foster care system. To be eligible, the children must have been in foster care for at least six consecutive months in your home as an approved relative foster family. The Alabama Kinship Guardianship Subsidy Act (effective October 1, 2010) established this as a recognized permanency option under Alabama law.

Kinship guardianship is more permanent than temporary custody and carries more legal weight. It also comes with a kinship guardianship subsidy payment for eligible children. Contact your DHR case manager if the children were placed with you through DHR foster care to ask whether kinship guardianship is an option for your family.

To qualify: you must be related to the child within the fourth degree of kinship by blood, marriage, or adoption.

**Adoption**

Adoption permanently terminates the biological parent's parental rights and establishes you as the legal parent. Adoption is not reversible. For families where the incarcerated parent is expected to be released and has a realistic path to caring for the children, adoption ends the possibility of reunification. This is a decision that requires careful consideration and legal counsel.

For families where reunification is not realistically on the table, adoption provides the most legally secure relationship and gives you the full range of parental rights.

Money: What Alabama Offers Kinship Caregivers

**KinShare**

KinShare is Alabama's short-term TANF assistance specifically for relative caregivers. It is one of the few Alabama-specific programs in this series and it is worth knowing about.

Who qualifies: relative caregivers related to the child by blood, marriage, or adoption whose household income is at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. DHR involvement is not required to apply.

What it provides: up to $500 per year to help pay for rent, utilities, mandatory school expenses, household furniture, court costs, and counseling.

$500 per year is modest. It does not cover what it costs to add children to a household. But it is money you do not have to repay and it does not require you to have gone through DHR. It is the fastest cash-equivalent assistance available to informal relative caregivers in Alabama.

Apply through your county DHR office. The Alabama Kinship Navigator at navigator.alabama.gov can direct you to the right DHR contact.

**TANF Child-Only Grant**

If the grandchildren did not come to you through a DHR dependency case, you can apply for a TANF child-only grant through Alabama's Department of Human Resources. A child-only grant looks only at the child's income -- not yours. Your pension, Social Security, or other income does not affect the child's eligibility. This is important.

Children approved for TANF child-only grants in Alabama also receive Medicaid. They also become eligible for Head Start if they are of preschool age.

TANF child-only grants are not subject to time limits. They continue as long as the child is in your care and meets eligibility requirements, which are reviewed periodically.

Apply at your local county DHR office. TANF recipients are automatically referred to Child Support enforcement, which means DHR will attempt to collect child support from the incarcerated parent. In most cases this is a nominal process during incarceration, but be aware of it.

**Medicaid / ALL Kids**

Children in kinship care -- whether through DHR foster care, through TANF, or informally -- are generally eligible for Alabama Medicaid. The ALL Kids program (Alabama's CHIP program) covers children who do not meet Medicaid income standards but still lack insurance. Apply through your county DHR office or call ALL Kids at 1-888-373-5437.

Medicaid covers doctor visits, dental, prescriptions, mental health services, and vision. Get the children enrolled in Medicaid as quickly as possible.

**SNAP (Food Assistance)**

Apply for SNAP through your county DHR office or at the Alabama DHR online portal. The grandchildren's presence increases your household's benefit level. Apply immediately -- SNAP benefits begin from the date of application, not the date of approval.

**Social Security**

If the incarcerated parent was working before arrest, the grandchildren may be eligible for Social Security dependent benefits based on the parent's work record. Call 1-800-772-1213 to ask. If a grandchild has a disability, SSI may also be available based on the child's own income and resources.

Alabama Kinship Navigator: Your First Stop

The Alabama Kinship Navigator at navigator.alabama.gov is the most useful single resource for Alabama grandparents raising grandchildren. It covers:

- Benefits available and how to apply

- Legal options explained

- Local programs by county

- Questions and answers about kinship care

- Resources for both DHR-involved and informal caregivers

It is built for people in exactly your situation. Use it before you call anyone. It will tell you what office to call and what to ask for.

The School Question

Getting the grandchildren enrolled in school is often the first immediate practical problem.

If you have Temporary Legal Custody or another court order, enrollment is straightforward -- bring your legal documents and the children's records.

If you do not yet have legal authority, use the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Under McKinney-Vento, schools are required to immediately enroll children who lack stable housing or documentation, including children living with relatives due to a parent's incarceration. Ask to speak with the school district's McKinney-Vento liaison if the school pushes back.

For children with special education needs (IEPs or 504 plans), you will need either legal authority or a signed parental authorization from the incarcerated parent to participate in education planning meetings. An incarcerated parent in Alabama DOC can sign documents -- coordinate through the facility case manager.

Medical Authorization Before Court Paperwork is Done

Without legal authority, you may be turned away from routine medical care in non-emergency situations. Emergency care cannot be denied. But routine and specialist care requires parental authorization.

The fastest fix: a notarized parental consent form. An incarcerated parent in ADOC (Alabama Department of Corrections) can sign a notarized authorization granting you authority to consent to the child's medical care. Alabama DOC facilities have notary services -- contact the facility to arrange this.

This is not as legally comprehensive as court-ordered authority, but it solves the immediate problem and does not require a court appearance.

Get the children's vaccination records, medical histories, and any existing prescriptions from the parent or their previous provider. These records may require the parent's authorization to release.

Alabama CARES and Caregiver Support

The Alabama Department of Senior Services (ADSS) operates the Alabama CARES program, which provides support specifically for older adults who step into caregiving roles. If you are 55 or older and caring for a grandchild or other relative child, Alabama CARES may offer services including caregiver training, respite care, and referrals to other services.

Contact the Alabama Department of Senior Services at (334) 242-5743 or visit alabamaageline.gov. Your local Area Agency on Aging can also connect you to caregiver services in your county.

Grandparents as Parents Alabama (GAP Alabama) at gapalabama.org provides advocacy, resources, and peer support for grandparent caregivers.

The Alabama Network of Family Resource Centers (ANFRC) at anfrc.org has kinship and grandfamily resources including a caregiver self-care tip sheet, youth mental health guidance, and links to the Alabama Kinship Navigator.

You are allowed to need support. Getting support for yourself is part of taking care of the grandchildren.

Talking to the Grandchildren About Where Their Parent Is

The children know something is wrong. Even very young children know. Silence does not protect them -- it leaves them to fill the quiet with their own imagination, which is usually worse than the truth.

Use simple, honest language matched to the child's age. For a young child: "Your dad made a mistake and he has to stay somewhere else while he learns from it. You are safe and I am here." For an older child: "Your mom is in prison. That means she did something against the law and a judge decided she needs to be there for a while. She loves you. She is not in danger."

Do not make promises about when the parent will be home that you cannot keep. Children count days. If "soon" does not come, the next round of questions is harder than this one.

Let the children have feelings -- anger, grief, confusion -- without rushing to fix those feelings. The feelings are real. The children are allowed to have them.

Keep the parent present in appropriate ways: a photo, a letter on the refrigerator, a call the children can look forward to. Alabama DOC phone calls go through the ICS Corrections system. You control which numbers are on the approved call list. A grandchild's participation in calls with the incarcerated parent is a decision you make based on what is best for that child -- not on your feelings about your own child.

If the grandchildren show signs of anxiety, grief, or behavior changes at school, ask the school counselor for a referral. Alabama Medicaid covers mental health services for children.

Your Relationship With Your Incarcerated Child

This relationship is complicated. You are raising your child's children because your child cannot. The feelings do not have to resolve. You can love your child and be angry about what they did. You can want them to get out and be afraid of what happens when they do. Both can be true.

What the grandchildren need: to see that you are not punishing their parent through them. Their relationship with their incarcerated parent is theirs. You do not have to perform forgiveness, but you also do not have to make your feelings the children's burden.

What you need: someone to hold the complicated feelings with you -- a therapist, a support group, a trusted person who will not use what you say against your child or against you. GAP Alabama (gapalabama.org) offers peer support from other grandparents in similar situations.

The PAL (Parents of Addicted Loved Ones) program, a national faith-based resource, facilitates meetings for parents whose adult children struggle with addiction. If addiction is part of your child's story -- and in Alabama, it often is -- PAL meetings may offer something a standard support group does not.

What to Do First: A Practical Checklist

The grandchildren just arrived. Here is where to start:

Establish legal authority. If the grandchildren came through DHR, ask your DHR worker about your status and next steps. If they came informally, contact your county juvenile court or a legal aid attorney about Temporary Legal Custody. Get a notarized parental consent form from the incarcerated parent for immediate medical and school authorization while the court process proceeds.

Apply for KinShare immediately. Up to $500 this year, income-tested, no DHR required. Contact your county DHR office.

Apply for TANF child-only and Medicaid. Go to your county DHR office or navigator.alabama.gov to start the applications. SNAP at the same time.

Use the Alabama Kinship Navigator. navigator.alabama.gov. Use it before you call anyone. It will tell you exactly where to go for your county.

Contact Alabama CARES if you are 55 or older. (334) 242-5743 or alabamaageline.gov. Ask about caregiver support services in your area.

Enroll the children in school using McKinney-Vento if you need to. Ask for the district's McKinney-Vento liaison.

Get the children into Medicaid and to a doctor. Even if they seem healthy, establish a primary care provider, get vaccinations current, and schedule a dental check.

Take care of yourself. Not last because it is least important. Last because it is the hardest to give yourself permission to do.

FAQ

**What is KinShare and how do I apply?** KinShare is Alabama's short-term TANF assistance specifically for relative caregivers. It provides up to $500 per year for rent, utilities, mandatory school expenses, household furniture, court costs, and counseling. Eligibility requires household income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. DHR involvement is not required. Apply at your local county DHR office or through the Alabama Kinship Navigator at navigator.alabama.gov.

**What is the Alabama Kinship Navigator?** navigator.alabama.gov is a one-stop website built for grandparents and relative caregivers raising children in Alabama. It covers benefits, legal options, local programs by county, and FAQs about kinship care. It is useful whether or not DHR is involved. Use it first before calling any office.

**What legal authority do I need and how do I get it?** You need at minimum a notarized parental consent form for immediate medical authorization, and Temporary Legal Custody through your county juvenile court for more comprehensive authority. Kinship Guardianship is available for children who came through DHR foster care. Contact your county DHR office or a legal aid organization. The Alabama Kinship Navigator can direct you to legal services in your county.

**What benefits are available without DHR involvement?** KinShare (up to $500/year), TANF child-only grants (child's income only, not yours), Medicaid for the children, and SNAP. Apply through your county DHR office. Your own income does not affect the child-only TANF or initial Medicaid eligibility for the children.

**Can I enroll my grandchildren in school without custody papers?** Yes. Under the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, schools must immediately enroll children living with relatives due to a parent's incarceration, even without typical enrollment documentation. Ask to speak with the school district's McKinney-Vento liaison.

**What is Alabama CARES?** Alabama CARES is the Alabama Department of Senior Services program supporting older adults who step into caregiving roles. It may offer caregiver training, respite care, and referrals. Contact ADSS at (334) 242-5743 or alabamaageline.gov if you are 55 or older.

**How do I talk to the grandchildren about their parent being in prison?** Use honest, age-appropriate language. Do not make promises about when the parent will be home. Let the children have their feelings. Keep the parent present in appropriate ways -- photos, letters, phone calls when suitable. Contact the school counselor if children show signs of struggling; Alabama Medicaid covers children's mental health services.

[SPEC NOTE: Folder 1mWUamVufeanK-LZbmcw4rbPb7yRIWRSP. Internal CTAs: Alabama inmate search, send money, Alabama reentry resources, Staying Connected hub, how prison works hub. SOURCING: navigator.alabama.gov/frequently-asked-questions/ (Kinship Navigator one-stop; informal placements; guardianship temporary custody; TANF SNAP Medicaid/ALL Kids Social Security EIC; foster care relative care options); navigator.alabama.gov/benefits/ (child-only TANF grant; child eligible Head Start if receives child-only TANF; TANF recipients automatically referred Child Support); gksnetwork.org/resources/strategies-for-tanf/ (KinShare Alabama TANF short-term assistance relative caregivers income at or below 200% FPL; up to $500/year for rent utilities mandatory school expenses household furniture court costs counseling; related by blood marriage or adoption); gapalabama.org/kinship-guardianship/ (Temporary Legal Custody Juvenile Court; Kinship Guardianship Juvenile Court for children in foster care; Alabama Kinship Guardianship Subsidy Act effective October 1 2010; fourth degree of kinship blood marriage adoption; 6 months in approved relative foster home; navigate.alabama.gov link); dhr.alabama.gov/foster-care/kinship-guardianship/ (Alabama Kinship Navigator one-stop; federal and state legislation; ISP team permanency goal; IV-E eligible or non IV-E state foster care maintenance payments; 6 consecutive months fully approved related foster family home); grandmagazine.com September 2025 (Alabama CARES program ADSS toolkit; Joint Interim Study Commission on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren; policy solutions state funds childcare support legal reforms; practical steps: legal status options guardianship custody kinship care; formalizing support for informal caregivers); grandfamilies.org Alabama fact sheet (TANF child-only caregiver income not considered; child-only not subject to time limits; SSI Social Security survivor benefits; Central Alabama Aging Consortium Family Guidance Center Senior Caregiver Program; PAL national faith-based nonprofit parents adult children addiction meetings; anfrc.org kinship grandfamily resources caregiver self-care youth mental health); anfrc.org (Alabama Kinship Navigator link; caregiver self-care tip sheet; supporting youth mental health; adoption vs guardianship); ALL Kids 1-888-373-5437; Alabama DOC ICS Corrections phone; ADSS (334) 242-5743 alabamaageline.gov; gapalabama.org; McKinney-Vento for school enrollment; notarized parental consent via ADOC facility notary. NOTE for Poorwa: verify KinShare still available and $500/year current; verify navigator.alabama.gov current and active; verify Alabama CARES ADSS (334) 242-5743 current; verify ALL Kids 1-888-373-5437 current; verify Alabama Kinship Guardianship Subsidy Act still in effect; verify fourth degree of kinship requirement current; verify DHR county offices still handle TANF child-only Medicaid SNAP applications; verify ADOC ICS Corrections still phone provider; verify gapalabama.org current; verify anfrc.org current; verify McKinney-Vento still applicable for school enrollment; verify Joint Interim Study Commission current status; len/character check before publish.]