South Dakota Implements New Licensing For Kinship Care To Increase Family Placements For Youth In Foster Care 

On June 1, 2025, the South Dakota Department of Social Services implemented new policies to create a licensing pathway for kinship foster care in the state. Under the new policies, kinship caregivers who obtain the license will be eligible for foster care maintenance payments from the state at the same rate the state pays to non-related foster families. Currently, about 30% of foster youth in the state were placed in a kinship placement with a relative or a close friend. ;

The goal is to increase the rate of kinship placement for children removed from their families and in . . .