Promoting Permanency Through Kinship Families Act

This bill, the Promoting Permanency Through Kinship Families Act, requires states to actively seek kinship placements for children in foster care or at risk of entering foster care, and removes barriers to such placements. It eliminates automatic denials of kinship placements based on past criminal records without evidence of current safety threats, removes upper age limits for kinship caregivers, and mandates participation in kinship guardianship assistance programs. The bill also eliminates AFDC eligibility requirements for foster care maintenance payments for children placed in foster family homes. These changes directly affect children in foster care, kinship caregivers, and state child welfare agencies, with the goal of reducing the number of children aging out of foster care without family connections.