Edwin and Elaine Davila say their quiet retirement in Baltimore ended overnight in October 2024, when they suddenly became full-time caregivers for three grandchildren. Now, at 63, they are raising 9-, 10-, and 11-year-olds on a fixed retirement income. The couple told reporters the children arrived with little food or clothing, and that because the state never formally placed the kids, the Davilas do not qualify for monthly foster payments.
Informal Kinship Care Leaves Families Without A Safety Net
In Maryland, relatives who step in privately are often labeled “informal kinship care” providers. That term describes caregivers who take in children outside the formal foster system, which can sharply limit both their legal authority and access to state supports, according to the Maryland Department of Human Services. As reported by WBAL-TV 11 News Investigates, the Davilas say they receive no foster-family payments because DHS never took the children into state custody in the first place.
State Reforms Put Kinship Care In The Spotlight
State lawmakers responded this spring with a package of foster care reforms aimed at ending emergency hotel placements and tightening oversight after a series of high-profile system failures, according to Maryland Bay News. DHS officials say the agency is shifting to a kin-first approach that prioritizes relatives when children cannot stay with their parents.
What Support Is Available, And Where It Falls Short
On paper, Maryland points to a menu of options for relatives who step in: temporary cash assistance and child-only grants, SNAP, Medicaid enrollment, child care scholarships, and kinship navigator programs, the state’s kinship fact sheet explains. The Maryland Department of Human Services lists application contacts and checklists for each program. In practice, caregivers say many of these supports are out of reach because they require formal custody orders or other documentation that informal caregivers do not yet have, and even when they do qualify, the amounts and eligibility rules often fall short of day-to-day parenting costs.
Why Grandfamilies Keep Falling Through Cracks
National research has long shown that kinship caregivers are more likely to be older, to have lower incomes, and to receive fewer services than non-relative foster parents, according to The Future of Children. Those conditions make private caregiving both costly and fragile. It helps explain why families without formal state placements say they have reached out to agencies at every level and still come up short.
Legal Hurdles And Where To Get Help
For relatives who want long-term authority to make medical, educational, and other major decisions, the next step is usually guardianship or another court order. That process can be slow and expensive, especially for retirees and low-income families. Maryland operates court help centers and online resources that walk people through required forms and filings, according to the Maryland Courts Help Center. Families who need a lawyer by their side can also reach out to organizations such as Maryland Legal Aid for low-cost or pro bono representation in CINA and guardianship cases.
On The Ground
The Davilas say they are leaning on a support group while weighing whether they must return to work to keep up with the bills. They are calling for more individualized assessments that recognize the realities of private caregiving and the gap between policy and the price of raising three school-aged children. As Maryland moves to codify reforms and expand kinship supports, families like theirs will be the test of whether new rules actually make it easier to secure the money and services needed to keep children safely with relatives.
