Placement of Children With Relatives - Arizona

Relative Placement for Foster Care and Guardianship

Citation: Rev. Stat. §§ 8-501; 8-514.02; 8-514.03

The Department of Child Safety may place a child with a parent, a relative, or a person who has a significant relationship with a child. The term 'relative' means a grandparent, great-grandparent, sibling of whole-blood or half-blood, a parent's sibling, or first cousin.

The department shall establish kinship foster care services for a child who has been removed from the child's home and is in the custody of the department. The program shall promote the placement of the child with the child's relative for kinship foster care.

Requirements for Placement with Relatives

Citation: Rev. Stat. § 8-514.03

A kinship foster care parent applicant who is not a licensed foster care parent shall be at least age 18. The applicant and each member of the applicant's household who is at least age 18 shall submit a full set of fingerprints to the department for the purpose of obtaining a State and Federal criminal records check pursuant to § 41-1750 and Public Law 92-544. The Department of Public Safety may exchange this fingerprint data with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Department of Child Safety shall determine if the applicant is able to meet the child's health and safety needs by conducting one or more home visits and interviewing the applicant.

The department may interview other household members, review the applicant's personal and professional references, and conduct Child Protective Services central registry checks.

A kinship foster care parent may be eligible to receive the following financial services for the child, as follows:

• Full foster care benefits if the kinship foster care parent becomes a licensed foster care home or obtains a restricted license pursuant to § 8-509(c)
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families cash assistance payments for child-only case and supplemental financial support

The department shall provide nonfinancial services for a kinship foster care parent through existing means or referral. Nonfinancial services may include the following:

• Family assessment and case management
• Child daycare
• Housing search and relocation
• Parenting skills training
• Supportive intervention and guidance counseling
• Transportation and emergency services
• Parent aid and respite services
• Additional services that the department determines are necessary to meet the needs of the child and family

Requirements for Placement of Siblings

Citation: Rev. Stat. § 8-513(D)

If a child has been removed from the child's home and placed in out-of-home placement, guardianship, or adoptive placement, the department shall make reasonable efforts to place that child with the child's siblings or, if that is not possible, to maintain frequent visits or other ongoing contact between the child and the child's siblings, unless a court determines that either the placement or the visits or contact would be contrary to the child's or a sibling's safety or well-being.

Relatives Who May Adopt

Citation: Rev. Stat. §§ 8-105; 8-108

A relative who may adopt the child includes a parent's sibling or the child's adult sibling, grandparent, or great-grandparent by whole-blood or half-blood or by marriage.

Requirements for Adoption by Relatives

Citation: Rev. Stat. §§ 8-105; 8-108

Before any prospective adoptive parent may petition to adopt a child, the person shall be certified by the court as acceptable to adopt children. A certificate shall be issued only after an investigation conducted by an officer of the court, by an agency, or by the division. This section does not apply if the prospective adoptive parent is the spouse of the birth or legal parent of the child to be adopted or is a parent's sibling or the child's adult sibling, grandparent, or great-grandparent by whole-blood or half-blood or by marriage or adoption.

A person who is not currently certified as acceptable to adopt but who has custody of a child who the person intends to adopt shall petition the court for an order permitting that person to keep custody of the child pending certification. If the court permits the person to continue to have custody of the child, the court shall order the investigation to continue for preadoption certification and report as required by § 8-105.

A custody petition or hearing is not required if the person who intends to adopt the child is any of the following:

• The spouse of a birth or legal parent of the child
• A parent's sibling or the child's adult sibling, grandparent, or great-grandparent by whole-blood or half-blood or by marriage