Press Release
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster visited HALOS today and signed S222 into law, which will now recognize kinship caregivers who are not biologically related to a child, as kinship foster caregivers. A kinship caregiver is defined as a grandparent, relative, or close friend who are raising children to keep them out of foster care with strangers.
“Our focus at HALOS is to connect with grandparents, relatives, and others who are taking care of a loved ones child in order to keep them out of foster care,” said HALOS Executive Director, Kim Clifton. “It is an honor to have the Governor recognize these families and raise awareness about the important role they play in ensuring that children are set up for success now and in the future. This newly updated law will continue to expand services and awareness for each and every person who is making a difference and working to keep kids out of foster care.”
HALOS offers free resources and support for kinship caregivers and has partnered with the South Carolina Department of Social Services (DSS) to create a model for the state in order to reach more caregivers. From COVID-19 assistance, support groups, back to school programs and more, HALOS has been an active part in the tri-county area for more than 25 years.
S222 states : “An act to amend section 63-7-2320, as amended, code of laws of South Carolina, 1976, relating to the kinship foster care program, so as to provide that fictive kin are eligible to be foster parents under the kinship foster care program, to provide that relatives and fictive kin may foster a child before being licensed as a kinship foster care provider under certain circumstances, and to define necessary terms.”
