National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections: There are many benefits of placing children separated from parents with their relatives. Relatives are able to offer family support and frequent contact with birth parents and siblings. Therefore, kinship care placements have become the preferred option of child welfare agencies. Under the Fostering Connections Act, there is much support for relatives caring for foster children, including: (1) federal reimbursement under Title IV-E for guardianship assistance payments, (2) requirements for states to provide relatives with notice of the placement of a related child in foster care, (3) codification of existing federal guidance permitting flexibility in foster care licensing for relatives, (4) requirements for states to make reasonable efforts to keep siblings together in foster care, and (5) grants to support maintaining family connections. Link to Info Packet