Help for you and the children in your care.

When parents becomes unwilling or unable to care for their children, aunts, uncles, grandparents, other family members, or close family friends often step up. For the first time, legal, financial, and therapeutic resources that have been available for foster parents are being made available to kin caregivers. If you live in New Mexico and are raising the child of a family member or friend—sign up now. All services are provided free charge.  You do not need to be a relative or have legal guardianship in order to qualify. Explore this website for more details, and use the links below to request services.

What Kind Of Services Are Provided?

• Assistance in determining the needs of the family and what services they may be eligible to receive from nonprofit, local, state and national sources.
• Education related to kinship care, such as: caregiving, self-care, mental health, legal assistance, social media, current technologies, child development, childhood trauma, financial planning, taxes, cultural competency,
• Assistance in completing guardianship packets to help caregivers register children for school and apply for medical services.
• Collaboration with civil legal service providers in order to refer caregivers to legal services as appropriate in relation to: obtaining guardianship or custody orders; child/Parent visitation; public benefits and financial matters; assistance with negotiations; housing; culturally appropriate legal services to immigrant caregivers
• Access to federal, state and local benefits including, but not limited to: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF); Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); WIC; Supplemental Security Income (SSI); Housing Authority; Income Support Division; Medicaid; Child Support; Respite Care; Guardianship Assistance; Legal Assistance; Child Care Assistance; Education.
• Therapeutic services, either in-house or with community based services, Behavioral Management Services, Case management, Peer Support Services, Individual and Family therapy.

BERNALILLO COUNTY REQUEST FORM

DOÑA ANA COUNTY REQUEST FORM

RIO ARRIBA COUNTY REQUEST FORM

OTHER NEW MEXICO COUNTIES REQUEST FORM

OUT-OF-STATE RESOURCES