Voluntary Kinship & Subsidized Guardianship

Voluntary Kinship Care

Milwaukee County’s Voluntary Kinship Care program is specifically designed to provide financial support for minor children living with a relative or like-kin caregiver outside their own home — whether temporarily or long-term.

The goal is to support safe, stable and nurturing care to promote each child’s emotional, educational and developmental well-being without any involvement from Children’s Court or the Child Welfare system.

Voluntary Kinship Requirements

There are three basic eligibility requirements to be eligible for Voluntary Kinship Care:

• The child currently meet the requirements to be in need of protection or services — or might if they were to remain with their parent(s)
• The basic needs of the child can be better met with the caregiver than with the parent
• Placement is in the best interests of the child

Other requirements include:

• Cooperation with the agency
• Cooperation in referring the parents to child support (unless granted an exemption)
• Annual review of Kinship living arrangements and eligibility
• Application for other public assistance or benefits for which the child might be eligible
• A criminal background check on the caregiver and all adult household members

Subsidized Guardianship

A caregiver who is appointed guardian of a child by the court has the duty and authority to make important decisions for the child without severing the child’s legal relationship to their parents and other family members.

Subsidized Guardianship supports the legal permanence option of guardianship while allowing the guardian to continue receiving a monthly payment to offset the costs of caring for the child.

Subsidized Guardianship Requirements

To be eligible for Subsidized Guardianship, both the child and prospective guardian(s) must meet the following criteria:

• The child has been removed from their home under a voluntary placement agreement, Wisconsin court order, or substantially similar tribal court order, and continued placement would be contrary to the welfare of the child.
• Reunification and adoption are not in the best interests of the child.
• The child demonstrates a strong attachment to the prospective guardian and has resided in their home for at least six consecutive months immediately prior.
• The prospective guardian is a relative, has a like-kin relationship with the child, or has developed a significant relationship with the child during placement in out of home care.
• If the child is age 14 or older, the child has been consulted regarding the guardianship agreement.