Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Utah

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Utah | InmateAid

Utah has a specific named benefit for kinship caregivers called the **Specified Relative Grant**, available through the Department of Workforce Services (DWS).

Two things to know before anything else:

**You do not need guardianship or custody of the child to apply.** You need a copy of the child's birth certificate and your own birth certificate to show biological relationship. That is the primary documentation requirement.

**The grant is not based on your income.** It is based on the child's assets or income. If the child has little income -- which most children do -- you will likely receive the grant.

When you receive the Specified Relative Grant, the child also automatically receives a **Medicaid card** for medical, mental health, and dental care. The financial assistance and health coverage come together.

Apply at the Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWS): jobs.utah.gov.

Utah also has **GRANDfamilies**, a program at Children's Service Society (CSS) that provides free services to ALL kinship families -- no income requirements, no age requirements, no relationship-to-child requirements, and no child welfare involvement required. Every caregiver who contacts GRANDfamilies is assigned a designated **family advocate** who checks in weekly and stays involved for as long as the family needs. CSS's main number: **(801) 355-7444**. Website: cssutah.org/services/kinship-care/.

Over **21,000 children in Utah** are being raised by relatives outside the formal child welfare system. For every one child in foster care with a relative, 27 more are being raised by kin in informal arrangements without access to critical resources. The Specified Relative Grant and GRANDfamilies were built for those 27.

You did not plan for this. You raised your children. You got to the other side of it. And then your child was incarcerated and the grandchildren needed somewhere to go. You said yes.

The Decision You Already Made

You already made the hardest decision. The grandchildren are with you. Everything else in this article is about making that workable.

A few things to understand about your position in Utah right now:

**Apply for the Specified Relative Grant immediately.** Go to jobs.utah.gov (Utah Department of Workforce Services). Bring the child's birth certificate and your birth certificate. No guardianship needed. Not based on your income. The Medicaid card for the child comes with it.

**Contact GRANDfamilies at CSS.** Call (801) 355-7444 or visit cssutah.org. A family advocate will be assigned to you and will check in weekly. They will help with everything -- paperwork, court filings for guardianship, school enrollment, applying for benefits.

**Get a notarized POA from the incarcerated parent.** UDOC (Utah Department of Corrections) facilities have notary services -- contact the facility case manager. The POA strengthens your school enrollment authority and medical decision-making.

The Specified Relative Grant: Utah's Key Financial Tool

The Specified Relative Grant is Utah's TANF-funded financial assistance for kinship caregivers. It is administered by the Department of Workforce Services (DWS).

**Key features:**

- Available to grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters, and other qualifying relatives

- **No guardianship or custody required**

- **Not based on the caregiver's financial status or need** -- based on the child's assets or income

- When approved, the child automatically receives a **Medicaid card** for medical, mental health, and dental care

**What you need to apply:**

- Copy of the child's birth certificate

- Copy of your birth certificate (to show biological relationship)

- Apply at: jobs.utah.gov (Utah Department of Workforce Services)

GRANDfamilies advocates are trained to assist with the Specified Relative Grant application. If you are confused about the process, call (801) 355-7444 and ask for help from a GRANDfamilies family advocate.

Note: Utah's DCFS kinship care page also references the Specified Relative Grant through DWS as the first financial resource for kinship caregivers not in the formal foster care system.

GRANDfamilies: Utah's Primary Kinship Support Program

**GRANDfamilies at Children's Service Society (CSS)**

Phone: **(801) 355-7444**

Website: cssutah.org/services/kinship-care/

GRANDfamilies is a support, advocacy, educational, and crisis intervention program for kinship families throughout Utah. It is operated by Children's Service Society (CSS) and is free to all kinship families.

**No barriers to entry:**

- No income requirements

- No age requirements

- No specific relationship-to-child requirements

- No child welfare involvement required

**What GRANDfamilies provides:**

- A **designated family advocate** assigned to each caregiver; checks in weekly; stays involved as long as needed

- Case management: crisis intervention, application assistance, resource referrals, 1-on-1 educational support

- Psycho-educational classes for caregivers, adolescents, and children

- Monthly support groups

- Therapeutic counseling services (through a licensed social worker)

- Help applying for the Specified Relative Grant and Medicaid

- Assistance with guardianship court paperwork -- free

- School enrollment guidance (including McKinney-Vento navigation)

- **Kinship Resource Locator Tool** -- free, online, English and Spanish; finds resources by age, caregiving status, child's needs, and location; available at cssutah.org/services/kinship-care/resources/

- Crisis assistance: concrete needs including clothes and beds

- Free home studies for families pursuing adoption

**Virtual services available**: for families without a nearby GRANDfamilies office, services are available by phone or video.

**For crisis intervention** involving child welfare, emergency childcare, or kinship care support: **(801) 355-7444**.

GRANDfamilies is also the managing organization of the Utah Kinship Coalition -- a monthly statewide coalition of organizations that collaborate to support kinship families.

Legal Authority: What It Is and How to Get It in Utah

**Power of Attorney**

A notarized parental POA from the incarcerated parent gives you authority for school enrollment and medical care. UDOC facilities have notary services -- contact the facility case manager.

**Guardianship or Custody (Utah District Court)**

Guardianship or custody through Utah district court gives you the formal legal relationship with the grandchildren. Under Utah Code Section 30-5, grandparents can apply for custody when the child's parents are unfit or unable to care for them.

GRANDfamilies advocates are trained in completing guardianship court paperwork and can assist for free. The Utah Courts website also has self-help packets for guardianship and custody filings.

It is not mandatory in Utah for kinship caregivers to go through the court system -- but legal status substantially increases the financial and service benefits available. And GRANDfamilies will help you get there.

**Licensed Kinship Foster Care (DCFS Cases)**

For children in DCFS conservatorship: becoming a licensed resource family provides access to additional financial support and services. Licensing is NOT mandatory for kinship caregivers in Utah, but it opens additional doors. Utah Foster Care provides training; DCFS kinship care page has guidance.

If DCFS placed the grandchildren, contact your assigned DCFS worker. DCFS non-emergency: **801-538-4100**.

**Adoption**

Adoption permanently terminates the biological parent's parental rights. GRANDfamilies provides free home studies for families pursuing adoption.

**Subsidized Guardianship (Title IV-E)**

Utah has a subsidized guardianship program for children exiting the formal child welfare system. Ask your DCFS worker about eligibility when guardianship is the permanency plan.

Money: What Utah Offers Kinship Caregivers

**Specified Relative Grant (DWS/TANF)**

As described above: no guardianship required; not based on caregiver income; based on child's assets; comes with child Medicaid card. Apply at jobs.utah.gov.

**Utah Medicaid (with Specified Relative Grant)**

The Medicaid card for the child comes automatically when the Specified Relative Grant is approved. It covers medical, mental health, and dental care.

Even without the Specified Relative Grant, children may qualify for Utah Medicaid based on income. Apply through DWS.

**SNAP (Food Assistance)**

Apply through Utah DWS at jobs.utah.gov. The grandchildren's presence increases your household food benefit.

**Child Support (Office of Recovery Services)**

The Office of Recovery Services (ORS) can assist you in obtaining child support from the incarcerated parent and establishing paternity. Contact ORS through the Utah DHSS website.

**Social Security**

If the incarcerated parent was working before arrest, the grandchildren may be eligible for Social Security dependent benefits. Call 1-800-772-1213. SSI may be available for grandchildren with disabilities.

Utah's Tribal Context

Utah has five federally recognized tribes:

- **Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation** (Tooele and White Pine Counties)

- **Navajo Nation** (southeastern Utah -- San Juan County; also spans Arizona and New Mexico)

- **Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation** (Brigham City, Box Elder County)

- **Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah** (several bands; southwestern Utah)

- **Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation** (northeastern Utah; Duchesne and Uintah Counties)

Utah's DCFS kinship care page specifically addresses Indian children under ICWA. For an Indian child, "relative" includes an "extended family member" as defined by ICWA -- a broader definition than the standard kinship relative list.

ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act) applies when child welfare proceedings involve children who are enrolled members or eligible for enrollment in a federally recognized tribe. ICWA requires tribal notification and provides specific placement preferences for tribal children.

For tribal grandparents or grandparents of enrolled tribal children: contact your tribe's social services department alongside DCFS. The Navajo Nation and Ute Indian Tribe both have active social services programs.

The School Question

With a POA, guardianship, or legal custody, school enrollment in Utah is straightforward.

Without legal authority: use the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. GRANDfamilies advises grandparents to **declare the child as "homeless"** to the school district under McKinney-Vento -- this legally requires the school to enroll the child immediately. Declaring "homeless" in this context means the child lacks a fixed, regular, adequate nighttime residence, which describes children who have been displaced from their parents' home. Ask the school district's McKinney-Vento liaison.

GRANDfamilies advocates specifically help with school enrollment. Call (801) 355-7444.

For children with IEPs, you will need legal authority or signed parental authorization from the incarcerated parent to participate in planning meetings. GRANDfamilies advocates can also assist with IEP navigation and special education services. UDOC facilities have notary services -- contact the facility case manager.

Medical Authorization Before Court Paperwork Is Done

The Specified Relative Grant brings an automatic Medicaid card for the child. Apply at jobs.utah.gov.

Get a notarized parental POA from the incarcerated parent through UDOC notary services. Contact the facility case manager.

Utah's Geographic Reality

Utah spans high desert and mountain terrain. Salt Lake City (Salt Lake County) and the Wasatch Front (Salt Lake, Utah, Weber, Davis Counties) hold the majority of the population. Southern Utah (Washington County, St. George area) is growing. Rural Utah includes vast counties -- San Juan County (southeastern, Navajo Nation lands), Garfield, Kane, Wayne, and Daggett Counties -- with very low population density and limited local services.

GRANDfamilies has multiple office locations and provides **virtual services by phone or video** for families who cannot easily reach an in-person office. This matters for rural Utah grandparents.

UDOC facilities include the Utah State Correctional Facility (Salt Lake County) and Central Utah Correctional Facility (Gunnison, Sanpete County -- rural central Utah). For a Salt Lake family visiting the Central Utah facility in Gunnison: about 2.5 hours south on I-15. For a rural San Juan County family visiting Salt Lake facilities: several hours north.

UDOC phone calls go through ICS Corrections / GTL. You control which numbers are approved.

Dial **2-1-1** (United Way) for statewide information and referral for local housing, food, childcare, transportation, and financial assistance in your specific county.

What She Is Carrying That He Cannot See

You did not plan for this stage of your life. The grandchildren arrived and with them came school forms, doctor appointments, someone to be home, someone to sit with a child who is afraid.

You are also carrying your feelings about your child who is incarcerated. Those feelings do not have to resolve. You can love your child and be furious. You can hope for the release and fear what comes after.

Utah's GRANDfamilies program was built for this exact situation. The monthly support groups, the weekly family advocate check-ins, the counseling services through a licensed social worker -- these exist because CSS knows what kinship caregivers in Utah are carrying. The program is free. The advocate stays as long as you need them.

You should not carry this alone.

Talking to the Grandchildren About Where Their Parent Is

The children know something is wrong. Silence does not protect them.

Use honest, age-appropriate language. For a young child: "Your dad made a mistake and he has to stay somewhere else while he learns from it. You are safe and I am here." For an older child: "Your mom is in prison. She did something against the law and a judge decided she needs to be there for a while. She loves you. She is not in danger."

Do not make promises about when the parent will be home that you cannot keep. Let the children have their feelings. Keep the parent present in appropriate ways: photos, letters, phone calls.

UDOC phone calls go through ICS Corrections / GTL. You control which numbers are approved. The grandchildren's relationship with their incarcerated parent is theirs.

Utah Medicaid covers mental health services for children. GRANDfamilies also offers therapeutic counseling services through a licensed social worker. If the grandchildren are struggling, ask the school counselor for a referral or contact GRANDfamilies.

Your Relationship With Your Incarcerated Child

Your feelings about your child are complicated. You are raising their children because they cannot. Both things are true.

What the grandchildren need: to see that you are not punishing their parent through them.

What you need: a place to hold the complicated feelings that is not in front of the grandchildren. GRANDfamilies support groups, a therapist, a pastor, a trusted person -- any of these is better than holding it alone.

What to Do First: A Practical Checklist

Apply for the Specified Relative Grant at jobs.utah.gov (Utah DWS). Bring the child's birth certificate and your birth certificate to show biological relationship. No guardianship required. Not income-based. Medicaid card comes with it.

Contact GRANDfamilies at Children's Service Society: (801) 355-7444 or cssutah.org/services/kinship-care/. A family advocate will be assigned to you and will check in weekly.

Get a notarized POA from the incarcerated parent through UDOC notary services. Contact the facility case manager.

Enroll the grandchildren in school. Use the POA if available. If you do not have legal authority, declare the child as "homeless" under McKinney-Vento to trigger immediate enrollment rights. GRANDfamilies advocates can help.

Apply for SNAP at jobs.utah.gov.

Start the guardianship or custody process through Utah district court. GRANDfamilies advocates provide free assistance with guardianship court paperwork. The Utah Courts website has self-help packets.

Use the Kinship Resource Locator Tool (free, English and Spanish) at cssutah.org/services/kinship-care/resources/ to find county-specific resources.

If grandchildren are enrolled tribal members: contact your tribe's social services and confirm ICWA applies.

Dial 2-1-1 for local community resource referrals.

Take care of yourself. GRANDfamilies offers individual counseling through a licensed social worker. The support groups are there. You are not alone.

FAQ

**What is the Specified Relative Grant?** Utah's TANF-funded financial assistance for kinship caregivers, administered by the Department of Workforce Services (DWS). No guardianship or custody required. Not based on the caregiver's income -- based on the child's assets or income. Approval automatically provides the child with a Medicaid card for medical, mental health, and dental care. Apply at jobs.utah.gov with the child's birth certificate and your birth certificate.

**What is GRANDfamilies?** A free support, advocacy, educational, and crisis intervention program at Children's Service Society (CSS) in Utah. Open to all kinship families with no income, age, relationship, or child welfare involvement requirements. Each caregiver is assigned a designated family advocate who checks in weekly and stays as long as needed. Phone: (801) 355-7444. Website: cssutah.org/services/kinship-care/.

**Does GRANDfamilies help with guardianship paperwork?** Yes. GRANDfamilies advocates are trained in completing Utah guardianship court paperwork and provide this assistance free of charge. They can also discuss alternatives to guardianship.

**What is the Kinship Resource Locator Tool?** A free online tool at cssutah.org/services/kinship-care/resources/ that identifies resources for Utah kinship caregivers based on age, caregiving status, the child's needs, and location. Available in English and Spanish.

**Is it mandatory to become a licensed foster parent in Utah to care for a relative?** No. Licensing is not mandatory for kinship caregivers in Utah. However, becoming a licensed resource family provides access to additional financial support and services. The Specified Relative Grant and GRANDfamilies are available regardless of licensure.

**Can I enroll my grandchildren in school without legal authority?** Yes. Under McKinney-Vento, if you declare the child as "homeless" (meaning displaced from their parents' home), the school must immediately enroll the child. GRANDfamilies specifically guides caregivers through this process. Ask the school district's McKinney-Vento liaison. A POA from the incarcerated parent provides stronger and more comprehensive enrollment authority.

**How do I talk to the grandchildren about their parent being in prison?** Use honest, age-appropriate language without promises about when the parent will be home. Let the children have feelings. Keep the parent present appropriately -- photos, letters, UDOC phone calls through ICS Corrections/GTL. Utah Medicaid covers mental health services; GRANDfamilies offers counseling through a licensed social worker; ask the school counselor for referrals.