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This bill amends the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to expand protections and support for the estimated 2.4 million children being raised by relatives or close family friends outside the formal foster care system, commonly called kinship or grandfamilies. The legislation affects kinship caregivers, primarily grandparents, as well as the agencies and organizations that serve them. Key changes include requiring states to prioritize kinship placements as the first option when children need out-of-home care, establishing kinship navigators to help families access services, and including kinship organizations and caregivers on the federal advisory board for child abuse prevention. The bill expands grant programs to support community-based prevention services for kinship families and requires training for kinship caregivers on topics like caring for children with behavioral or mental health challenges, trauma, and substance use disorders. The legislation does not specify new funding amounts or implementation timelines, focusing instead on modifying existing federal grant programs to better serve these families.

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