Schema: Article + FAQPage
Internal links (5): Mississippi inmate search, send money, Mississippi reentry resources, Staying Connected hub, how prison works hub
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 Mississippi | InmateAid
Mississippi has two separate state agencies that serve grandparents and relative caregivers, and knowing which one does what saves time.
**MDHS (Mississippi Department of Human Services)** handles cash assistance (TANF), food assistance (SNAP), Medicaid, and child care assistance. This is where you apply for financial support. Local MDHS offices are in all 82 Mississippi counties.
**MDCPS (Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services)** handles child welfare -- foster care placements, child protection investigations, and the Kinship Navigator Program. If the grandchildren came through the child welfare system, MDCPS is your primary agency. If they did not, MDHS is your primary agency.
Mississippi calls its TANF program for grandparents and relative caregivers the "Non-Parent Caretaker Relative" program. The grandparent's income is not counted for child-only assistance. The children must live with you as their primary residence -- not just visiting for a period of time.
Mississippi's Kinship Navigator Program, operated through Catholic Charities, Inc. of Jackson under MDCPS, covers a large portion of southern and central Mississippi counties. In 2025, MDCPS issued a new Request for Proposals to expand and redesign the Kinship Navigator Program statewide -- so the program is growing.
Mississippi is the poorest state in the nation by most standard measures. The grandparents in this state who are raising their grandchildren are, in many cases, doing it with fewer resources than grandparents anywhere else in the country. The programs that exist are named below.
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.
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 Mississippi right now:
If the grandchildren are NOT in MDCPS custody, your primary agency is MDHS. Apply for TANF Non-Parent Caretaker assistance, SNAP, and Medicaid at your local MDHS county office.
If MDCPS placed the grandchildren with you as a relative foster caregiver, your MDCPS caseworker is your primary contact. Ask about foster care payments, licensing, and the Title IV-E Guardianship Assistance Program if long-term guardianship is the plan.
If you are in a county served by the Kinship Navigator (most of southern and central Mississippi), call Catholic Charities, Inc. of Jackson to connect with the Navigator.
If you are in a northern Mississippi county not yet served by the Navigator: MDHS county offices, Legal Services Mississippi, and 2-1-1 Mississippi (dial 2-1-1 or visit ms.211.org) are your primary resources.
Legal Authority: What It Is and How to Get It in Mississippi
**Guardianship (Chancery Court)**
In Mississippi, guardianship of minor children is handled in Chancery Court (not probate court, as in many other states). 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.
Legal Services Mississippi provides free civil legal help to income-eligible Mississippians. Offices in Jackson, Hattiesburg, Tupelo, Greenville, and Oxford. Contact: lanlaw.org (Legal Aid of North Mississippi) or legalservicesms.com (central and south).
**Temporary Guardianship Clinics**
MDCPS's 2025-2029 Child and Family Services Plan documents temporary guardianship clinics operated in Harrison, Hancock, and Stone Counties (Gulf Coast region) in partnership with Catholic Charities and Access to Justice. These clinics specifically assist people caring for children in relative placement situations who are below the poverty level. If you are in the Gulf Coast area, ask Catholic Charities about whether a guardianship clinic is available.
**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. Mississippi DOC (MDOC) facilities have notary services -- contact the facility case manager.
**Title IV-E Guardianship Assistance (MDCPS Cases)**
If the grandchildren came through MDCPS foster care and guardianship is the permanency plan, the Title IV-E Guardianship Assistance Program may provide ongoing financial support after guardianship is established. Ask your MDCPS caseworker.
**Adoption**
Adoption permanently terminates the biological parent's parental rights. Consider carefully when the incarcerated parent has a realistic path to release and reunification.
Money: What Mississippi Offers Kinship Caregivers
**TANF Non-Parent Caretaker Relative Assistance**
Mississippi's TANF program provides cash assistance to non-parent caretaker relatives who exercise control and supervision over the child. Key features:
- You must be an adult relative (18 or older) within a "specified degree of relationship" -- this includes grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, great aunts and uncles, and other family members
- The child must live with you as their **primary residence** -- not just visiting temporarily. Children staying with a grandparent over summer break do not qualify under this definition.
- For child-only assistance, the grandparent's income is not counted
- Monthly cash payments for children and caretaker relatives who do not have enough income or resources to meet basic needs
- Child-only TANF grants are not subject to the time limits that apply to adult recipients
Apply at your local MDHS office. MDHS offices are in all 82 Mississippi counties. Contact: mdhs.ms.gov/help/tanf/ or your local county office.
**SNAP (Food Assistance)**
Apply for SNAP through MDHS at your local county office or mdhs.ms.gov. MDHS Division of Economic Assistance administers SNAP in Mississippi. The grandchildren's presence increases your household food benefit.
**Mississippi Medicaid**
Mississippi Medicaid covers children in kinship care who meet income eligibility. Apply through MDHS. Medicaid covers doctor visits, dental, prescriptions, mental health services, emergency care, and vision.
**Child Care Payment Program (CCPP)**
Mississippi's child care assistance program through MDHS. Children in MDCPS custody receive child care payment without regard to the guardian's income. For other kinship families: income-based; apply at your local MDHS office.
**SNAP for children and TANF together** are the primary financial resources available to most Mississippi grandparents not in the MDCPS foster care system. Mississippi's TANF amounts are among the lowest in the country -- they are a floor, not a living wage. The Kinship Navigator and community organizations exist partly to bridge the gap.
**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.
Mississippi Kinship Navigator Program
The Kinship Navigator Program, operated by Catholic Charities, Inc. of Jackson under MDCPS, covers the following Mississippi counties:
**Southern Mississippi counties**: Clarke, Covington, Forrest, George, Green, Hancock, Harrison, Jackson, Jasper, Jefferson Davis, Jones, Kemper, Lamar, Lauderdale, Leake, Marion, Newton, Neshoba, Pearl River, Perry, Scott, Smith, Stone, Wayne.
**Central Mississippi counties**: Adams, Amite, Claiborne, Copiah, Franklin, Hinds, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lincoln, Madison, Pike, Rankin, Simpson, Walthall, Warren, Yazoo.
What the Kinship Navigator provides:
- Links grandparents and relative caregivers to appropriate federal, state, and local programs
- Helps caregivers overcome economic, financial, and educational barriers
- Increases parenting knowledge
- Connection to community resources including health screening events and support networks
Contact: Catholic Charities, Inc. of Jackson website through mdcps.ms.gov/help-available/mdcps-resources.
**Note on northern Mississippi**: The current Kinship Navigator does not cover most northern Mississippi counties (DeSoto, Marshall, Benton, Prentiss, Tishomingo, Lee, Pontotoc, Union, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Monroe, Clay, Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Choctaw, and others). MDCPS issued a new RFP in June 2025 to expand the Kinship Navigator statewide. If you are in northern Mississippi, use 2-1-1 Mississippi (dial 2-1-1 or ms.211.org), your local MDHS county office, and Legal Aid of North Mississippi for navigation.
Mississippi Families for Kids -- ROC
Mississippi Families for Kids operates the ROC (Relatives Raising Other's Children) program. It provides:
- Information and referrals
- Access to a clothes closet
- Assistance with school supplies
- Educational workshops on legal rights, custody issues, and visitation
ROC is a community-level resource for grandparents and relative caregivers. Contact information is available through mdcps.ms.gov or the GrandFacts resource at grandfamilies.org.
Mississippi's Poverty Reality
Mississippi has the highest poverty rate of any state in the country. The grandparents doing this work in Mississippi are often doing it on fixed incomes, Social Security, or limited resources -- in communities where the nearest MDHS office may require a significant drive on rural roads, and where legal aid attorneys are stretched thin.
The TANF amounts in Mississippi are among the lowest nationally. They cover part of the cost of raising a child, not all of it. Knowing this does not mean you should not apply -- you should. It means you also look for everything else: SNAP, Medicaid, the Kinship Navigator, church and community networks, the clothes closets and school supply programs.
Mississippi's community and faith networks are deep. The churches and community organizations that fill the gaps between what the state offers and what families actually need are not footnotes -- in Mississippi, they are often the primary support system.
Mississippi's Geographic Reality
Mississippi has 82 counties. MDHS has offices in all 82. That is the reach of the benefits system.
What is harder: the physical distance in rural Mississippi. The Delta (northwest Mississippi) is some of the most isolated rural territory in the country. Mississippi State Penitentiary -- Parchman -- sits in Sunflower County in the middle of the Delta, surrounded by cotton fields, about 2.5 to 3 hours from Jackson and much further from the Gulf Coast. For a family in Harrison County with a parent at Parchman: visiting is not a day trip.
MDOC phone calls go through ICS Corrections / GTL. You control which numbers are approved. For families with a parent at Parchman specifically, phone calls are often the primary connection.
The School Question
With guardianship, a POA, 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.
For children with IEPs, you will need legal authority or a signed parental authorization from the incarcerated parent to participate in planning meetings. MDOC facilities have notary services -- contact the facility case manager.
Medical Authorization Before Court Paperwork Is Done
Get a notarized parental Power of Attorney from the incarcerated parent through MDOC notary services. Contact the facility case manager.
Apply for Mississippi Medicaid for the grandchildren at your local MDHS county office. Medicaid enrollment does not require legal authority.
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 forms, doctor appointments, someone to be home, someone to sit with a child who is afraid.
You are also carrying your feelings about your child who is incarcerated. Those feelings do not have to resolve. You can love your child and be furious. You can hope for their release and fear what comes after.
Mississippi's communities -- the small Delta towns, the Gulf Coast cities, the Piney Woods communities of the south, the hill country of the northeast -- hold family and community close. The faith communities in Mississippi are among the most active in the country when it comes to stepping in for people in crisis. If your church or community has not shown up yet, ask directly. In Mississippi, asking directly usually works.
The Kinship Navigator and ROC programs, where they operate, are staffed by people who know what the situation looks like here. Use 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.
MDOC phone calls go through ICS Corrections / GTL. You control which numbers are approved. The grandchildren's relationship with their incarcerated parent is theirs.
Mississippi Medicaid covers mental health services for children. If the grandchildren are struggling, ask the school counselor or the child's primary care provider for a referral.
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. Community networks, the ROC program, faith communities, a trusted person -- any of these is better than carrying it alone.
What to Do First: A Practical Checklist
Go to your local MDHS county office. Apply for TANF Non-Parent Caretaker assistance (child-only; grandparent's income not counted), SNAP, and Medicaid all at the same time. The child must live with you as their primary residence.
If you are in a covered county, contact the Kinship Navigator through Catholic Charities, Inc. of Jackson (linked at mdcps.ms.gov/help-available/mdcps-resources).
If you are in northern Mississippi: dial 2-1-1 (or visit ms.211.org) and contact Legal Aid of North Mississippi for navigation.
Get a notarized Power of Attorney from the incarcerated parent through MDOC notary services. Contact the facility case manager. Immediate school and medical authorization.
Start the guardianship process. Contact Legal Services Mississippi (central and south) or Legal Aid of North Mississippi. If you are in the Gulf Coast area, ask Catholic Charities about Temporary Guardianship Clinic availability.
If MDCPS is involved: ask your caseworker about foster care payments, licensing, and the Title IV-E Guardianship Assistance Program.
Ask about the ROC (Relatives Raising Other's Children) program through Mississippi Families for Kids for school supplies, clothes closet access, and legal rights workshops.
Enroll the grandchildren in school. Use McKinney-Vento if needed.
Lean on your community and faith networks. In Mississippi, they are part of the system, not separate from it.
FAQ
**What is the TANF Non-Parent Caretaker Relative program in Mississippi?** Mississippi's TANF program provides cash assistance to grandparents and other qualifying relatives who are caring for grandchildren as their primary residence. The grandparent's income is not counted for child-only assistance. You must be an adult relative within a specified degree of relationship; the child must live with you as their primary residence (not just visiting). Apply at your local MDHS county office or mdhs.ms.gov.
**What is the Mississippi Kinship Navigator Program and which counties does it serve?** The Kinship Navigator, operated by Catholic Charities, Inc. of Jackson under MDCPS, serves most of southern and central Mississippi -- including Harrison, Hinds, Rankin, Lauderdale, Madison, and dozens of other counties. It links grandparents and relative caregivers to federal, state, and local programs and helps with economic, financial, and educational barriers. Access through mdcps.ms.gov/help-available/mdcps-resources. Note: most northern Mississippi counties are not currently covered, but MDCPS is expanding the program through a new 2025 RFP.
**What is the difference between MDHS and MDCPS in Mississippi?** MDHS (Department of Human Services) administers benefits: TANF, SNAP, Medicaid, child care. MDCPS (Department of Child Protection Services) handles child welfare: foster care, child protection, and the Kinship Navigator. If you need financial help and the children are not in the child welfare system, go to MDHS. If MDCPS placed the children with you, your caseworker is your primary contact.
**What is the ROC program?** ROC (Relatives Raising Other's Children) is a program of Mississippi Families for Kids that provides information and referrals, clothes closet access, school supplies, and educational workshops on legal rights, custody, and visitation for relative caregivers.
**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. Ask the school district for its McKinney-Vento liaison. A notarized POA from the incarcerated parent enables standard enrollment.
**What legal help is available in Mississippi?** Legal Services Mississippi (central and south) and Legal Aid of North Mississippi serve income-eligible Mississippians with civil legal help including guardianship in Chancery Court. Gulf Coast families may access Temporary Guardianship Clinics through Catholic Charities and Access to Justice in Harrison, Hancock, and Stone Counties.
**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, MDOC phone calls through ICS Corrections/GTL. Mississippi Medicaid covers mental health services for children; ask the school counselor or primary care provider for a referral if needed.
[SPEC NOTE: Folder 1mWUamVufeanK-LZbmcw4rbPb7yRIWRSP. Internal CTAs: Mississippi inmate search, send money, Mississippi reentry resources, Staying Connected hub, how prison works hub. NOTE ON META TITLE: "Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Mississippi | InmateAid" -- verify character count; "Mississippi" is 11 chars making title longer; may need to shorten. Poorwa to verify before publish. SOURCING: mdhs.ms.gov/help/tanf/nonparentcaretaker/ April 2026 (TANF Non-Parent Caretaker Relative Mississippi MDHS; adult relative 18+ control supervision; grandparents great grandparents great-great grandparents great aunts uncles; children living in home primary residence not just visiting; summer break example not qualifying; monthly cash payments children caretaker relatives not enough income resources; caretaker income not counted child-only; child-only not subject time limits; specified degree of relationship); mdcps.ms.gov/help-available/mdcps-resources (Kinship Navigator Program Catholic Charities Inc Jackson; link grandparents relative caregivers appropriate federal state local programs; overcome economic financial educational issues; increase parenting knowledge; counties listed Clarke Covington Forrest George Green Hancock Harrison Jackson Jasper Jefferson Davis Jones Kemper Lamar Lauderdale Leake Marion Newton Neshoba Pearl River Perry Scott Smith Stone Wayne Adams Amite Claiborne Copiah Franklin Hinds Jefferson Lawrence Lincoln Madison Pike Rankin Simpson Walthall Warren Yazoo); mdcps.ms.gov RFP 2025KNPI June 2025 (MDCPS partner agency Kinship Navigator services; family-driven Kinship Navigator program care coordination caregiver supports; RFP deadline July 24 2025; expanding program); mdcps.ms.gov 2025-2029 CFSP (Temporary Guardianship Clinic Harrison Hancock Stone County facilitate essential legal documentation relative placement children living away biological parents financial circumstances below poverty level; Catholic Charities Access to Justice organize; MDCPS prevention strategies kinship navigator programs in-home family support); grandfamilies.org Mississippi 2021 (Mississippi Families for Kids ROC Relatives Raising Other's Children information referrals clothes closet school supplies educational workshops legal rights custody visitation; Benefits QuickLINK BenefitsCheckUp; TANF child-only grants caregiver income not considered not subject time limits Social Security SNAP); mdhs.ms.gov/eccd/parents/eligibility/ CCPP (children MDCPS custody child care payment without regard income guardian; income-based other families; immunization records 24-hour grace period MDCPS children); icpcstatepages.org Mississippi (TANF MDHS assistance needy families children under 18 without regard race creed color gender age disability national origin; monthly TANF money payments children needy caretaker relatives insufficient income resources); grandfamilies.org Mississippi (TANF child-only caregiver income not considered not subject time limits; SNAP MDHS Division Economic Assistance); MDOC ICS Corrections GTL phone; MDOC notary services; mdhs.ms.gov/help/tanf/ and county offices 82 counties; mdhs.ms.gov; McKinney-Vento school enrollment; Social Security 1-800-772-1213; 2-1-1 Mississippi ms.211.org; Legal Services Mississippi; Legal Aid of North Mississippi lanlaw.org. NOTE for Poorwa: verify meta title character count -- "Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Mississippi | InmateAid" may be over 60 chars; verify and shorten if needed before publish; verify TANF Non-Parent Caretaker Relative still current mdhs.ms.gov/help/tanf/nonparentcaretaker/; verify Kinship Navigator still Catholic Charities Inc Jackson after 2025 RFP -- new contractor may be in place by publish; verify county list current after RFP expansion; verify MDCPS RFP 2025KNPI outcome and new program structure; verify ROC Mississippi Families for Kids still operating; verify Title IV-E guardianship assistance Mississippi still current; verify Mississippi Medicaid children income-eligible current; verify CCPP MDHS child care current; verify MDOC ICS Corrections GTL phone provider; verify McKinney-Vento still applicable; verify 2-1-1 Mississippi ms.211.org current; verify Legal Aid of North Mississippi lanlaw.org current; verify Legal Services Mississippi legalservicesms.com current; len/character check before publish.]