Kin First: About 40% of Louisiana Youth in Foster Care Live With Relatives or Kin

When a child can't stay safely at home, the next best place is very often someone they already know.

Louisiana's 2026 Annual Progress and Service Report, the state's yearly plan filed with the federal government, puts it plainly: "Approximately 40% of all youth in foster care are placed with relative/kin caregivers and parents." About 45% of those relative and kin placements are with caregivers who are certified foster providers with DCFS.

And looking at foster families overall: "Currently, 35% of certified families are kinship families."

Why kin matter

Kinship placements keep children connected to the people, places and traditions they know. A grandmother's house is not a stranger's house, even on the hardest night of a child's life.

Kin caregivers often take children in suddenly, sometimes in the middle of the night, without time to plan, budget or prepare. Supporting them is one of the most practical ways a community can help: meals, clothes in the right sizes, rides, a car seat, a night of respite.

What changed in 2025

Legislation in 2025 moved several programs, including the kinship care subsidy, from DCFS to other state agencies, according to DCFS's March 2026 fact sheet. Kin caregivers looking for financial help should check with DCFS's customer service line about where each program now lives.

Nationally, too

The same pattern holds across the U.S. In the latest national breakdown, relatives or kin were the largest placement type for children in foster care. See the national picture.