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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 Arkansas | InmateAid
Arkansas is doing something right. As of August 2025, 41.3% of Arkansas children in foster care are placed with relatives or fictive kin -- above the national average of 35% and well above where Arkansas was a decade ago. The state's Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS) has set a new goal of 50%. In a state where kinship care has become a priority, there are people inside the system who want it to work for you.
You did not plan for this. You raised your children. You got to the other side of it. And then your child was incarcerated and the grandchildren needed somewhere to go. You said yes.
Arkansas has resources for you. Getting to them requires knowing what they are called, because Arkansas uses names that differ from most other states in this series -- and the differences matter at the DHS office window.
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 workable -- legally, financially, practically.
A few things to understand about your position in Arkansas right now:
If you are caring for grandchildren without a formal legal arrangement, you are an informal caregiver. In Arkansas, informal caregivers have limited legal authority -- enrolling children in school, authorizing medical care, and accessing many benefits programs are harder without documentation.
If DCFS placed the grandchildren with you, you are a kinship foster caregiver. Whether you are licensed or unlicensed affects what payments you receive.
If you arranged care directly with the parent without DCFS involvement, you have more flexibility -- but you have to establish legal authority yourself.
The first priority in almost every case: establish legal authority. Everything else depends on it.
Legal Authority: What It Is and How to Get It in Arkansas
**Kinship Guardianship (Through DCFS)**
If the grandchildren were placed with you through the DCFS dependency process, kinship guardianship is available as a permanent legal option when reunification and adoption are both off the table. DCFS will conduct a home visit before placement.
To qualify as a kinship guardian in Arkansas: you must be at least 21 years old and related to the child within five degrees of separation. This includes grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, great-aunts and great-uncles, siblings, stepparents, and unrelated adults with a strong, positive relationship to the child (fictive kin).
One important note for paternal relatives: if the child is placed with a paternal relative, the father must have established paternity. Without it, placement with a paternal relative can only occur if the father signs an acknowledgment of paternity, the child was born in marriage, or by court order.
Kinship guardians through DCFS receive a monthly payment based on the child's age. The child also qualifies for Medicaid and receives a clothing voucher.
**Custody / Guardianship Without DCFS Involvement**
If DCFS is not involved and you are seeking formal legal authority, an Arkansas court can grant you custody or guardianship. Contact your county circuit court or a legal aid organization. Legal Aid of Arkansas provides free legal services to low-income Arkansans; call 1-800-952-9243 or visit arlegalservices.org.
A parent's incarceration is documented grounds for a court to find the parent unable to care for the children and grant you legal authority.
**Adoption**
Adoption permanently terminates the biological parent's parental rights. It is not reversible. For families where the incarcerated parent has a realistic path to release and reunification, consider carefully before pursuing adoption. Discuss it with a family law attorney.
Money: What Arkansas Offers Kinship Caregivers
**TEA Child-Only Grant (Transitional Employment Assistance)**
Arkansas's TANF program is called TEA -- Transitional Employment Assistance. This is important: when you go to a DHS office in Arkansas, you ask for TEA, not TANF. They are the same federal program, but the Arkansas name is what the office uses.
"TANF also provides cash assistance to children being cared for by caretaker relatives other than the parent." This is what you are.
There are two types of TEA assistance:
- **Family grant**: Based on the entire household's income. Your income counts. Work requirements apply.
- **Child-only grant**: Based only on the child's income. Your income does not count. No work requirements.
If a DHS worker tells you that you earn too much, ask specifically: "Do you have a child-only option that only counts the child's income?" The Arkansas Grandparents Raising Grands Foundation has specifically identified that DHS does not always clearly explain the distinction between the two. Do not leave the office after hearing "you make too much" without asking that question directly.
Apply for TEA at Access Arkansas: access.arkansas.gov. In-person: your county DHS County Operations office. The DHS general information line is 1-800-482-8988.
**ARKids First (Medicaid for Children)**
ARKids First is Arkansas's Medicaid and CHIP program for children. It covers children who otherwise might not have health coverage. Eligibility is based on the family's income and other factors -- not specifically the grandparent's income for the child's coverage.
ARKids First covers doctor visits, dental care, prescriptions, mental health services, emergency care, and vision. Apply through Access Arkansas at access.arkansas.gov or at your county DHS office.
Get the grandchildren enrolled in ARKids First as quickly as possible. Health coverage is one of the most urgent practical needs when children arrive.
**The Medicare / Insurance Gap**
If you are over 65 and your only health coverage is Medicare, here is something Arkansas advocates have specifically named as a gap: Medicare covers you, not the grandchildren. ARKids First covers the grandchildren, not you. You are not insuring the grandchildren under Medicare.
This matters when you are asked to get the grandchildren insured. The answer is ARKids First for the children, Medicare for you. They are two separate programs that do not overlap.
**Kinship Foster Care Monthly Payments**
If DCFS placed the grandchildren with you and you are licensed or in the licensing process as a kinship foster caregiver, you receive monthly foster care payments. The amount varies by the child's age and needs. There is no separate kinship foster parent licensing program in Arkansas -- kinship caregivers must meet the same licensing standards as non-kin foster parents, though the state may waive or modify space requirements on a case-by-case basis.
If you are unlicensed and placed by DCFS, you may be eligible for emergency support payments at the time of placement. Ask your DCFS caseworker.
**SNAP (Food Assistance)**
Apply for SNAP through DHS at access.arkansas.gov or your county DHS office. The grandchildren's presence increases your household benefit level. Apply the same day you apply for TEA and ARKids First.
**Social Security**
If the incarcerated parent was working before arrest, the grandchildren may be eligible for Social Security dependent benefits. Call 1-800-772-1213. If a grandchild has a disability, SSI may be available.
The School Question
With legal authority (custody, guardianship, or a court order), school enrollment is straightforward.
Without legal authority, use the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Schools must immediately enroll children who lack stable housing documentation, including children living with relatives due to a parent's incarceration. Ask the school district's McKinney-Vento liaison if the school creates barriers.
For children with IEPs or 504 plans, you will need legal authority or a signed parental authorization from the incarcerated parent to participate in planning meetings. ADC (Arkansas Division of Correction) facilities have notary services -- coordinate through the facility case manager to get a notarized parental authorization signed.
Medical Authorization Before Court Paperwork Is Done
Without legal authority, routine medical care may be refused in non-emergency situations. Emergency care cannot be denied.
The fastest fix: a notarized parental consent form. An incarcerated parent in an ADC facility can sign a notarized authorization granting you medical decision-making authority for the children. ADC facilities have notary services -- contact the facility case manager.
This does not replace court-ordered legal authority but it solves the immediate problem of routine medical care.
Get the grandchildren's vaccination records, medical histories, and any existing prescriptions from the parent or previous provider as quickly as possible. These records may require the parent's authorization to release.
Arkansas DCFS: A System That Wants Kinship to Work
Arkansas has made a documented commitment to kinship placement. The 41.3% kinship foster placement rate as of August 2025 is not an accident -- it reflects a decade of deliberate effort by DCFS since 2016.
What this means for you as a grandparent caregiver: the DCFS system in Arkansas is, more than in many other states, inclined to want the children to be with family. When DCFS contacts you about placement, or when you contact DCFS about a child in need, the system has an institutional bias toward kinship that you can work with.
What it does not mean: that the system is easy to navigate, that paperwork gets processed quickly, or that the payments arrive without following up. The bias toward kinship placement is real; the bureaucratic burden of maintaining it still lands on you.
Your DCFS caseworker is your primary contact. If you are having trouble getting payments, licensing support, or services, ask to speak with a supervisor. You can also contact Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (aradvocates.org), which tracks DCFS practices and can provide guidance.
Key Arkansas Organizations
**Arkansas Grandparents Raising Grands Foundation**
Based in Jonesboro. Founded and led by Amy Muchia-Beckett. Working at the state and national level to improve resources for grandparent caregivers, including advocacy with the Governor's office and DHS. An active current organization that can connect you with others in similar situations in Arkansas.
**Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF)**
aradvocates.org
Policy organization that tracks DCFS practices and advocates for children and families in the state system. Published the September 2025 analysis of Arkansas's kinship placement rates. A resource if you feel the system is not following its own policies.
**Legal Aid of Arkansas**
1-800-952-9243 | arlegalservices.org
Free legal services for low-income Arkansans. Handles guardianship, custody, and benefits issues for kinship caregivers.
**DHS County Operations Offices**
humanservices.arkansas.gov | 1-800-482-8988
Apply for TEA, ARKids First, and SNAP. Locate your county office at humanservices.arkansas.gov/find-your-dhs-office.
**Access Arkansas**
access.arkansas.gov
Online portal for applying for TEA (TANF child-only), ARKids First (Medicaid/CHIP), and SNAP.
What She Is Carrying That He Cannot See
You did not plan for this stage of your life. The grandchildren arrived -- and with them came everything a parent does: school forms, doctor appointments, school supplies, lunch money, someone to be at the front door at 3:30pm, someone to sit with a child having a nightmare.
You are also carrying your feelings about your own child who is incarcerated. Those feelings do not have to resolve on any particular schedule. You can love your child and be angry. You can hope for their release and be afraid of what comes with it.
The grandchildren need you to be okay. They do not need you to perform feelings you do not have. They need a stable adult in the house.
The Arkansas Grandparents Raising Grands Foundation in Jonesboro and support networks across the state connect grandparents who are doing what you are doing. Other grandparents who have already navigated the TEA application and the DCFS caseworker and the school enrollment question are the most credible people to sit with you in this.
Talking to the Grandchildren About Where Their Parent Is
The children know something is wrong. Silence does not protect them.
Use honest, age-appropriate language. 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. 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. Let the children have feelings -- anger, grief, confusion -- without rushing to fix them. Keep the parent present in appropriate ways: photos, letters, phone calls when suitable.
ADC phone calls go through Securus Technologies. You control which numbers are on the approved list. The grandchildren's relationship with their incarcerated parent is theirs -- not yours to manage based on your feelings about your own child.
ARKids First covers mental health services for children. If the grandchildren are struggling, ask the school counselor for a referral or the child's ARKids First primary care provider for a mental health referral.
Your Relationship With Your Incarcerated Child
Your feelings about your child are complicated. You are raising their children because your child cannot. You can love your child and be angry. You can hope and fear the same outcome at the same time.
What the grandchildren need: to see that you are not punishing their parent through them.
What you need: a place to hold the complicated feelings that is not in front of the grandchildren. The Arkansas Grandparents Raising Grands Foundation, support groups, a trusted friend, a therapist -- any of these is better than holding it alone.
What to Do First: A Practical Checklist
Establish legal authority. If DCFS is involved, ask your caseworker about the kinship guardianship process. If DCFS is not involved, contact Legal Aid of Arkansas (1-800-952-9243) or your county circuit court about custody or guardianship. Get a notarized parental consent from the incarcerated parent through the ADC notary services for immediate medical and school authorization.
Apply for TEA child-only grant. Go to access.arkansas.gov or your county DHS office. If the worker says "you make too much," ask specifically for the child-only option that considers only the child's income.
Apply for ARKids First at the same time. Get the grandchildren enrolled in health coverage immediately.
Apply for SNAP at the same time. One visit to DHS or one session on Access Arkansas can start all three.
Enroll the grandchildren in school. Use McKinney-Vento if the school pushes back on documentation.
Get the grandchildren's medical records and vaccination history. Coordinate with the incarcerated parent through the ADC facility for any authorizations needed.
Contact the Arkansas Grandparents Raising Grands Foundation in Jonesboro to connect with others in your situation.
Take care of yourself. The system is navigable. Other grandparents in Arkansas have navigated it and are on the other side. Finding them is worth the effort.
FAQ
**What is TEA and how is it different from TANF?** TEA stands for Transitional Employment Assistance -- Arkansas's name for the federal TANF program. When you go to a DHS office in Arkansas, you ask for TEA. There are two types: a family grant (your income counts) and a child-only grant (only the child's income counts). If a worker says you earn too much, ask specifically whether there is a child-only option. Apply at access.arkansas.gov or at your county DHS office; call 1-800-482-8988.
**What is ARKids First?** ARKids First is Arkansas's Medicaid and CHIP program for children. It covers children who lack health coverage and is based on family income. It covers doctor visits, dental, prescriptions, mental health, emergency care, and vision. Apply at access.arkansas.gov. This covers the grandchildren; if you are over 65, your Medicare covers you separately.
**How does Arkansas kinship licensing work?** Arkansas does not have a separate licensing program for kinship foster parents. Kinship caregivers placed by DCFS must meet the same licensing standards as non-kin foster parents. However, the state may waive or modify space requirements for kinship families case by case. Kinship foster parents who are licensed receive monthly foster care payments based on the child's age and needs, plus Medicaid and a clothing voucher for each child.
**What legal authority do I need and how do I get it?** At minimum, get a notarized parental consent form from the incarcerated parent for immediate medical authorization. For ongoing authority, pursue custody or guardianship through your county circuit court or through DCFS if the children are in the dependency system. Legal Aid of Arkansas (1-800-952-9243) provides free assistance to eligible families.
**Can I enroll my grandchildren in school without guardianship 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 documentation. Ask for the school district's McKinney-Vento liaison if the school creates barriers.
**What is the Arkansas Grandparents Raising Grands Foundation?** Based in Jonesboro, this is an active advocacy organization founded by Amy Muchia-Beckett that works at the state and national level to improve resources for grandparent caregivers. It is currently meeting with the Governor's office and DHS leadership on policy changes. It connects grandparents across the state who are in similar situations.
**How do I talk to the grandchildren about their parent being in prison?** Use honest, age-appropriate language without making 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. ADC phone calls go through Securus Technologies; you control which numbers are on the approved list. ARKids First covers children's mental health services; ask the school counselor for a referral if children are struggling.
[SPEC NOTE: Folder 1mWUamVufeanK-LZbmcw4rbPb7yRIWRSP. Internal CTAs: Arkansas inmate search, send money, Arkansas reentry resources, Staying Connected hub, how prison works hub. SOURCING: aradvocates.org September 30 2025 (DCFS 41.3% kinship placements August 2025; national average 35%; new DCFS goal 50%; average 39% last year; 10 years ago 22%; since 2016 deliberate effort; children first kinship placement achieve permanency faster; fictive kin included); kait8.com July 21 2025 (Arkansas Grandparents Raising Grands Foundation Jonesboro; founder Amy Muchia-Beckett; joining national group federal kinship program; meeting Governor Sanders senior advisor DHS chief of staff; Medicare gap over 65 no insurance for grandchildren; DHS doesn't distinguish child-only TANF and child-only clearly); humanservices.arkansas.gov FAQ (TEA Transitional Employment Assistance Arkansas TANF name; federally funded case management assist families children under 18 employment; family income $223/month or less SSI not counted; resources $3000 or less; cash assistance to children caretaker relatives other than parent; apply online TEA Access Arkansas; ARKids First coverage Arkansas children based family income); aarp.org kinship_care_2006_ar.pdf (TEA child-only grant child's income only; adult caregiver may be included based on income work requirements; 1-800-482-8988; ARKids First free low-cost health insurance relative caregivers; kinship care licensing same standards as non-kin foster parents waive modify space requirements case by case; subsidized guardianship for foster care children; Arkansas Voices Little Rock Forrest City Helena Fayetteville 501-603-0244 TANF child-only services); hickeyandhull.com (kinship guardian at least 21 years old relative within five degrees of separation; grandparents great-grandparents aunts uncles cousins siblings stepparents unrelated adults significant relationship; monthly payment based age of child also qualifies Medicaid clothing voucher; paternal relative paternity establishment required; DCFS home visit prior to placement; wide scope five degrees); arlegalservices.org Legal Aid of Arkansas 1-800-952-9243; access.arkansas.gov TEA ARKids First SNAP applications; ADC Securus phone system; McKinney-Vento school enrollment; ADC notary services parental consent; Social Security 1-800-772-1213. NOTE for Poorwa: verify TEA still Arkansas TANF name and income threshold $223/month; verify access.arkansas.gov still active portal for TEA ARKids First SNAP; verify DHS 1-800-482-8988 current; verify ARKids First still Arkansas CHIP/Medicaid name; verify Arkansas kinship guardian age 21 requirement and five degrees of separation still current; verify no separate kinship licensing still current Arkansas; verify Legal Aid of Arkansas 1-800-952-9243 arlegalservices.org current; verify Arkansas Grandparents Raising Grands Foundation Jonesboro still active; verify aradvocates.org current; verify ADC Securus phone provider; verify McKinney-Vento still applicable; len/character check before publish.]