SC S0598

Approves Department of Social Services Regulation Document Number 5296, establishing standards for approval of kinship family foster homes and kinship adoptive homes for children in foster care

Creates separate, less burdensome licensing standards for kinship (relative) foster and adoptive homes compared to non-relative foster family homes

Aligns South Carolina regulations with a September 28, 2023 federal rule change (45 CFR Section 1355.20) allowing states to claim Title IV-E federal funding for kinship foster care placements under different licensing standards

Takes effect upon approval by the Governor