Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Iowa | InmateAid
Iowa calls its TANF program the Family Investment Program -- FIP. When you walk into an Iowa HHS (Department of Health and Human Services) county office and ask about cash assistance for the grandchildren, ask for FIP. That is the term the office uses.
Iowa also has a Kinship Caregiver Payment Program (KCP) -- a TANF-funded payment specifically designed to help kinship caregivers during the crisis period when children first arrive. It is not an ongoing monthly payment. It is a short-term stabilization payment, available for up to four months, for caregivers facing an emergency need because relative children have moved into the home.
Iowa's legislature recognized the gap between what the system offers and what kinship caregivers actually need: in 2024, the Iowa legislature appropriated up to $3 million in TANF Block Grant funding specifically for the kinship caregiver stipend program. That is not a large number for a statewide program, but it is a named acknowledgment that the gap exists.
Iowa is a largely rural, agricultural state. The methamphetamine epidemic has hit Iowa's smaller cities and farming communities hard, and like the opioid crisis in other states, it is a primary driver of why Iowa grandparents are back in the business of raising children they did not plan to raise. The incarceration that follows drug crimes puts the grandchildren somewhere. Often with 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.
This article tells you what Iowa offers and what to do first.
If Iowa DCS/HHS Is Involved: Act Immediately
If Iowa's Department of Health and Human Services has opened a CINA (Child in Need of Assistance) case against your child -- meaning the state has moved to remove the grandchildren from your child's care -- act immediately.
An April 2025 legal article from an Iowa family law firm states it plainly: "time is of the essence for grandparents seeking guardianship of grandchildren taken by Iowa DHS." When HHS opens a CINA case and removes a child from a parent, they are looking for a suitable placement. If a grandparent or relative is not identified quickly, the child goes to stranger foster care. Once the child is placed in stranger foster care, the process of redirecting them to a relative placement becomes longer and harder.
If you have received any contact from Iowa HHS about your grandchildren -- a call, a visit, a document -- contact Iowa Legal Aid immediately (1-800-532-1275 or iowalegalaid.org) or retain a family law attorney. This is the one situation in this article where speed matters more than anything else.
If you are not in a CINA case -- if the grandchildren came to you informally because your child is incarcerated -- continue reading for the non-crisis pathways.
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.
A few things to understand about your position in Iowa right now:
If you are caring for grandchildren without HHS involvement, you are an informal caregiver. The FIP child-only grant, the Kinship Caregiver Payment, and Medicaid are the primary resources available to you without court involvement.
If HHS placed the grandchildren with you as a kinship caregiver, you may have access to kinship foster care approval and the Subsidized Guardianship Program. Your HHS case manager is your primary contact.
Iowa HHS county offices are distributed across all 99 Iowa counties. Find your local office at hhs.iowa.gov/about/hhs-office-locations. The HHS Division of Community Access: 1-800-972-2017.
Legal Authority: What It Is and How to Get It in Iowa
**Guardianship**
For most grandparents not in the HHS system, guardianship through Iowa district court is the primary legal pathway. With guardianship, you have legal authority to enroll children in school, authorize medical care, apply for benefits, and make day-to-day decisions.
A parent's incarceration is documented grounds for demonstrating inability to care for a child. Contact Iowa Legal Aid (1-800-532-1275; iowalegalaid.org) for free legal assistance with guardianship for income-eligible Iowans.
**Power of Attorney**
A notarized parental Power of Attorney from the incarcerated parent gives you immediate authority for school enrollment and medical care while you pursue guardianship. Iowa DOC (Department of Corrections -- IDOC) facilities have notary services -- contact the facility case manager to arrange.
**Subsidized Guardianship Program (HHS-Involved Cases)**
Iowa's Subsidized Guardianship Program is available for children who have been in licensed family foster care or an approved kinship family for at least six consecutive months.
Important Iowa-specific note: the guardianship for this program must be established in **Iowa juvenile court, not probate court**. This is different from some other states. If you are in the HHS foster care system and working toward guardianship, make sure your attorney files in juvenile court, not probate court.
The HHS case manager discusses guardianship subsidy options with eligible families once the child has been in placement for six months.
**CINA Cases: When HHS Is Involved**
In CINA cases, the process runs through Iowa juvenile court. Your goal as a grandparent is to be identified as a placement option before the child enters stranger foster care. Contact the HHS worker in the CINA case and formally state that you want to be considered as a placement. Get a family law attorney or Iowa Legal Aid involved immediately.
Money: What Iowa Offers Kinship Caregivers
**FIP Child-Only Grant (Family Investment Program -- Iowa TANF)**
FIP is Iowa's TANF program. For child-only grants, the grandparent's income and assets are not counted -- only the child's income is considered. Child-only FIP grants are not subject to the 60-month adult time limit.
Apply at your local HHS county office or call 1-800-972-2017. Find your local office at hhs.iowa.gov/about/hhs-office-locations.
Children who receive FIP are generally eligible for Medicaid.
**Kinship Caregiver Payment Program (KCP)**
The KCP is Iowa's TANF-funded payment specifically for kinship caregivers in a crisis situation. It is designed to address a specific crisis or episode of need when relative children move into the home. It is not intended for ongoing monthly support and will not extend beyond four months.
This is the resource to ask about first at your local HHS office when the grandchildren arrive. It is the bridge payment while you get FIP, Medicaid, and longer-term support established.
Ask your HHS worker specifically: "Is there a Kinship Caregiver Payment available for my situation?"
**Iowa Kinship Navigator Program**
Iowa HHS's Kinship Navigator Program provides a kinship specialist who supports kinship caregiver families through the Family Centered Services contract. Kinship caregivers are eligible for this support for up to four months. The specialist assists with both emotional and concrete (practical) supports.
Your HHS worker or local office can connect you to the Kinship Navigator. The navigator helps you understand what you are entitled to and walks you through the application processes.
**Iowa Medicaid**
Children in kinship care are generally eligible for Iowa Medicaid based on the child's income. Iowa Medicaid covers doctor visits, dental care, prescriptions, mental health services, emergency care, and vision.
Apply through your local HHS county office or hhs.iowa.gov. Get the grandchildren enrolled in Medicaid as quickly as possible.
**SNAP (Food Assistance)**
Apply for SNAP through your local HHS county office. The grandchildren's presence increases your household benefit level.
**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. SSI may be available for grandchildren with disabilities.
Iowa's Rural Reality
Iowa is a rural state. Des Moines is the largest city, but most Iowans live in smaller cities, towns, and farming communities. The methamphetamine epidemic has hit Iowa's rural communities particularly hard -- Marshalltown, Ottumwa, Mason City, Fort Dodge, the farm towns in between -- and it has put Iowa grandparents in exactly this situation at a rate that is higher than the urban centers.
The services that exist -- HHS county offices, Iowa Legal Aid, the Kinship Navigator -- are distributed across all 99 Iowa counties, but the practical reality is that in rural Iowa, the distance to an HHS office can be significant, legal aid attorneys may not be in your town, and the support groups that exist in Des Moines or Cedar Rapids may not exist in your county.
2-1-1 Iowa (dial 2-1-1 or iowas211.org) is the statewide information and referral line. It is the best first call to find out what is available in your specific county.
The School Question
With a Power of Attorney, guardianship, or custody 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.
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. IDOC facilities have notary services -- contact the facility case manager.
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.
Get a notarized parental Power of Attorney from the incarcerated parent through IDOC notary services. Contact the facility case manager to arrange. This handles routine medical authorization while you pursue guardianship.
Enroll the grandchildren in Iowa Medicaid at your local HHS office or hhs.iowa.gov. Medicaid enrollment does not require legal authority -- it requires proof of the child's identity and Iowa residency.
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 school lunches, doctor appointments, someone to be at the house when the bus drops them off, someone to sit with a child who is afraid.
You are also carrying your feelings about your child who is incarcerated. In Iowa, where methamphetamine has devastated farming communities and small-city neighborhoods alike, those feelings often include watching someone you raised become unrecognizable, and then watching that person's children arrive at your door needing someone to be their someone.
The grief of that is real. The anger is real. The love is real. None of it has to resolve on any particular schedule.
Iowa's 2-1-1 system (iowas211.org or dial 2-1-1) can connect you to caregiver support resources in your county. Iowa HHS's Kinship Navigator can provide emotional as well as practical support for the first four months. Find them.
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 their feelings. Keep the parent present in appropriate ways: photos, letters, phone calls.
Iowa DOC phone calls go through ICS Corrections / GTL. You control which numbers are approved. The grandchildren's relationship with their incarcerated parent is theirs.
Iowa Medicaid covers mental health services for children. If the grandchildren are struggling, ask the school counselor for a referral or the child's Medicaid primary care provider.
Your Relationship With Your Incarcerated Child
Your feelings about your child are complicated. You are raising their children because they cannot. Both things are true.
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 Kinship Navigator, community organizations, a therapist, a trusted person who understands what substance use does to families -- any of these is better than holding it alone through an Iowa winter.
What to Do First: A Practical Checklist
If HHS/DCS is involved in a CINA case: contact Iowa Legal Aid (1-800-532-1275; iowalegalaid.org) or a family law attorney immediately. Notify the HHS worker you want to be considered as a placement. Time matters.
Get a Power of Attorney signed. Contact the IDOC facility case manager to arrange notarization. This gives you immediate authority for school and medical decisions.
Contact your local HHS county office. hhs.iowa.gov/about/hhs-office-locations or 1-800-972-2017. Ask specifically about: the FIP child-only grant; the Kinship Caregiver Payment Program (KCP); and the Kinship Navigator Program.
Apply for FIP child-only grant, Iowa Medicaid, and SNAP at the same HHS visit.
Start the guardianship process. Contact Iowa Legal Aid (1-800-532-1275; iowalegalaid.org) for free help. If HHS is involved and six months of placement have elapsed, ask about the Subsidized Guardianship Program through Iowa juvenile court (not probate court).
Enroll the grandchildren in school. Use McKinney-Vento if needed.
Dial 2-1-1 Iowa (iowas211.org) to find community resources specific to your county.
Take care of yourself. The Kinship Navigator is there for the first four months. Use it.
FAQ
**What is the FIP and how is it different from TANF?** FIP stands for Family Investment Program -- Iowa's name for the federal TANF program. When you go to a county HHS office in Iowa, you ask for FIP. For child-only grants, the grandparent's income and assets are not counted. Apply at your local HHS county office or call 1-800-972-2017.
**What is the Kinship Caregiver Payment Program (KCP)?** The KCP is Iowa's TANF-funded crisis payment for relative caregivers when children first move into the home. It is available for up to four months for a specific episode of need. It is not an ongoing monthly payment. Ask your HHS worker specifically about the KCP when the grandchildren arrive.
**What is Iowa's Kinship Navigator Program?** A program through Iowa HHS Family Centered Services that provides a kinship specialist for emotional and practical support for kinship caregivers for up to four months. Ask your local HHS office to connect you to the Kinship Navigator.
**What is a CINA case and why does speed matter?** CINA stands for Child in Need of Assistance -- Iowa's term for a child dependency case. When HHS removes a child from a parent, a CINA case is opened in juvenile court. Grandparents who want to step in as placement must act immediately to be identified before the child goes to stranger foster care. Contact Iowa Legal Aid (1-800-532-1275) immediately if a CINA case is opened involving your grandchildren.
**What is Iowa's Subsidized Guardianship Program?** A program for children who have been in licensed foster care or an approved kinship home for six consecutive months, where guardianship is the permanency plan. Important: the guardianship must be established in Iowa juvenile court, not probate court. The HHS case manager discusses this option with eligible families once the placement requirement is met.
**Can I enroll my grandchildren in school without legal authority?** 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 the school district for its McKinney-Vento liaison.
**How do I talk to the grandchildren about their parent being in prison?** Use honest, age-appropriate language without promises about when the parent will be home. Let the children have feelings. Keep the parent present appropriately -- photos, letters, Iowa DOC phone calls through ICS Corrections/GTL. Iowa Medicaid covers children's mental health services; ask the school counselor or primary care provider for a referral if needed.