Grandparents Raising Grandchildren in Delaware: 2026 Help Guide

Last updated: 27 May 2026

Bottom Line: In Delaware, most grandparents who take in a grandchild should first sort out one question: did the family arrange the move privately, or did the Division of Family Services place the child with you? Private caregivers usually start with child-only TANF, food help, health coverage, and short-term kinship help. If DFS placed the child, ask right away if you are a foster placement. That can change payments, Medicaid, court rules, and paperwork.

For a broader national overview, see our guide to grandparent caregiver programs. This Delaware page focuses on the state forms, local contacts, and first steps that matter most for grandparents and other relatives in Delaware.

Emergency help now

• If anyone is in danger: Call 911.
• If a child may be abused or neglected: Call Delaware’s report line at 1-800-292-9582.
• If you need shelter tonight: Call or text Delaware 211, or contact Centralized Intake at 1-833-346-3233.
• If the parent shows up angry: Do not argue at the door. Call 911 if anyone is unsafe. Keep texts, voicemails, police reports, and court papers in one folder.

Quick help

• Fastest benefit path: Start one application through Delaware ASSIST for cash, food, and health coverage.
• Cash for the child: Ask DSS about child-only TANF. A non-parent relative can be the payee for related children in their care.
• Recent move-in: Ask about the Kinship Care Program if the child moved in within 180 days.
• School or doctor access: Delaware has a school affidavit and a medical affidavit for relative caregivers.
• DFS involvement: Call DFS Foster Care at 302-633-2657 and ask if your home is being treated as kinship foster care.

Quick-reference table

Contents

• Choose the right path
• Money help
• School and medical authority
• Health, food, housing
• Caregiver support
• Start without wasting time
• Documents to gather
• Phone scripts
• Reality checks
• Denied or delayed

Choose the right path

Do this first: Ask, “Who placed the child in my home?” This one answer changes your next step.

Private family care means the parent, family, or caregiver arranged the child’s move without DFS placing the child. You may still be able to apply for benefits for the child. You may also use Delaware’s caregiver affidavits for school and routine medical care if you meet the rules.

Court guardianship means Family Court gives a non-parent the powers needed to care for a child. Delaware’s guardianship page says a guardian can care for the child like a parent until the child turns 18. The court also says a child support request is separate.

Kinship foster care is different. If DFS has custody and places the child with you, you may need foster approval. You may also have a worker, training steps, home assessment, court dates, and different payment rules.

GFS also has a general Delaware benefits guide for older adults who need help beyond the child’s needs.

Money help for grandparents

Do this first: Ask DSS for a child-only TANF screening. Use those words. A child-only case is not the same as asking for full-family TANF for yourself.

Child-only TANF

• What it helps with: Monthly cash for the child’s needs.
• Who may qualify: A grandparent or other relative caring for a minor child. Delaware says the non-parent caretaker’s income does not count, but the child’s income may count.
• Where to apply: Start through ASSIST or call DSS Customer Relations at 1-866-843-7212.
• Reality check: The child’s own income, such as child support or survivor benefits, can lower the payment.

These are Delaware’s published 2025-2026 TANF maximum grant figures. They are a starting point, not a promise of payment.

Kinship Care Program

• What it helps with: Short-term needs during the first 180 days after the child moves into the relative’s home.
• Who may qualify: The child must be under 18. The caregiver must be a relative within the 5th degree. Family income must be under 200% of the federal poverty level. The parents cannot live in the home.
• Where to apply: Ask DSS, a State Service Center, or ADRC about Kinship Care Program screening.
• Reality check: The state says funding is limited to available state funds. Apply early if the move is recent.

If you are trying to compare child-only TANF, kinship help, and other benefits, our guide to grandparent grants explains common programs across states.

Foster care stipend

• What it helps with: A daily stipend for approved foster homes caring for children placed by DFS.
• Who may qualify: Grandparents or relatives who are approved foster parents for a DFS placement.
• Where to apply: Call DFS Foster Care at 302-633-2657 if DFS is involved.
• Reality check: Private family care does not become foster care just because the caregiver is a relative.

Delaware’s foster care FAQ says foster parents receive a non-taxable stipend of about $20 to $55 per day per child, based on the child’s needs and other factors. It also says Medicaid is provided for the child’s medical, dental, and counseling needs.

School and medical authority

Do this first: Do not wait months for a court order if school or routine care cannot wait.

School enrollment

• What it helps with: Public school enrollment and school decisions.
• Who may qualify: A Delaware relative caregiver who is 18 or older and caring for a child without custody or guardianship.
• Where to use it: Give the notarized school affidavit to the school district.
• Reality check: The school may ask for proof of relationship, proof the child lives with you, parent signatures, or proof that you tried to locate the parent.

If you cannot get all documents, Delaware school law says the school must permit enrollment if you provide a date-stamped custody or guardianship petition within 10 business days. The district may give more time.

Medical consent

• What it helps with: Routine medical and dental care when you do not yet have legal custody.
• Who may qualify: Relatives covered by Delaware’s caregiver medical law.
• Where to use it: Bring the notarized medical affidavit to the child’s doctor, dentist, clinic, or pharmacy.
• Reality check: Under Delaware medical law, a parent, legal custodian, or guardian can override the caregiver’s decision.

Guardianship

Guardianship is often the better long-term path when the child will stay with you. It can help with school, medical care, travel, records, and stable decision-making. It can also help you ask for child support in a separate case. Guardianship itself does not create a new monthly Delaware cash payment.

Health, food, and housing

Health coverage

• What it helps with: Doctor visits, hospital care, prescriptions, dental, vision, therapy, and mental health care when the child qualifies.
• Who may qualify: Children under 19 who live in Delaware and meet program rules.
• Where to apply: Apply through ASSIST or call the Health Benefit Manager.
• Reality check: Keep your address current. Missed mail can cause missed renewal notices.

Delaware’s 2026 income chart lists Delaware Healthy Children at 212% of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that chart shows a monthly limit of $5,830. You can also read our broader Medicaid guide if the grandparent also needs health coverage help.

For uninsured children, check the Healthy Children Program. For plan or coverage questions, contact the Health Benefit Manager at 1-800-996-9969.

Food help

• What it helps with: SNAP food benefits, school meals, and summer food help.
• Who may qualify: SNAP depends on who lives and eats together. That is different from child-only TANF.
• Where to apply: Use ASSIST or ask DSS to screen the household.
• Reality check: Tell DSS who buys and cooks food together. Do not assume SNAP will treat the child-only case the same way TANF does.

Delaware calls SNAP the Food Supplement Program. Children may also qualify for SUN Bucks if they meet the state’s summer food rules. GFS has separate guides to senior food programs and SNAP after 60 for older adults.

Housing and utilities

• What it helps with: Emergency shelter, rent, utility problems, and longer-term housing paths.
• Who may qualify: Kinship families, older caregivers, and households in crisis may be screened by local offices.
• Where to start: Use State Service Centers, Delaware 211, or Centralized Intake.
• Reality check: Some offices and housing programs have limits, waitlists, or referral rules. Ask what is open now.

For more state housing options, use our Delaware housing guide. If the problem is urgent, our Delaware emergency guide can help you sort immediate steps.

Caregiver support and respite

Do this first: Ask for help before you are out of energy. Raising a child can mean school calls, doctor visits, court papers, rides, meals, and behavior needs at the same time.

• ADRC: The Delaware ADRC can point older adults, adults with disabilities, and caregivers to local help. The phone number is 1-800-223-9074.
• Area Agency on Aging: Delaware uses the ADRC and DSAAPD system for aging services. Our Delaware AAA guide explains where to start.
• Post-permanency support: If the child had foster care history and you later get permanent guardianship or adoption, post-adoption supports may help with support groups, respite, child care, counseling, and crisis help.
• Paid caregiver issue: Programs that pay family caregivers usually focus on caring for an older adult or disabled adult, not paying a grandparent for raising a child. Our Delaware caregiver guide explains that separate path.

How to start without wasting time

1. Write down the move-in date. The 180-day kinship rule can matter.
2. Open the benefits case. Ask for child-only TANF, SNAP, and Medicaid screening.
3. Ask if DFS is involved. If yes, get the worker’s name and ask whether this is a foster placement.
4. Fix school and medical access. Use affidavits while court papers are pending.
5. File for guardianship if needed. Do this sooner if the child will likely stay for months.
6. Keep one notebook. Write the date, time, office, worker name, and next step after every call.

If online forms are hard, our Delaware portal guide explains how ASSIST fits into benefit applications.

Documents to gather

Phone scripts that work

For DSS benefits: “I am a grandparent raising my grandchild in Delaware. The parent is not living in my home. I need to be screened for child-only TANF, SNAP, and Medicaid for the child. What proof do you need from me?”

For kinship help: “The child moved into my home on [date]. I want to ask about Delaware’s Kinship Care Program and the 180-day rule. Can you tell me how to apply and what proof is missing?”

For school: “I am a relative caregiver. I need to enroll the child now. I want to use the Delaware Relative Caregivers’ School Authorization Affidavit. If I am missing proof, can I file a custody or guardianship petition and bring the date-stamped copy within 10 business days?”

For DFS: “DFS or the court placed the child with me. Am I being treated as a foster placement, kinship foster placement, or private relative caregiver? What payments, Medicaid coverage, training, and court steps apply?”

Reality checks

• TANF and SNAP use different rules: Child-only TANF may leave your income out, but SNAP looks at who lives and eats together.
• Kinship Care is time-sensitive: Do not miss the 180-day window if the child moved in recently.
• Guardianship is legal authority, not cash: It may help you act for the child, but it does not create a new monthly payment by itself.
• Foster care rules are formal: A DFS placement may mean training, approval, home review, and court duties.
• Paperwork delays are common: Missing birth certificates, parent contact information, proof of relationship, or notary steps can slow school and medical forms.
• Address changes matter: Update your address with DSS, Medicaid, the school, and the court so notices do not go to the wrong place.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Waiting for guardianship before applying for benefits.
• Asking only for full-family TANF instead of child-only TANF.
• Assuming private caregiving pays foster care rates.
• Missing the Kinship Care Program’s 180-day rule.
• Forgetting that school and medical affidavits usually need a notary.
• Not asking DSS for the exact missing document in writing.

What to do if denied or delayed

• Ask for the reason: Do not accept a vague “no.” Ask for the written notice or exact missing proof.
• Check the program lane: Make sure you were screened as a non-parent caretaker for child-only TANF if that is what you need.
• Use appeal paths: For school affidavit denials, ask how to appeal to the local board of education. For DSS benefits, read the fair hearing deadline on the notice.
• Get legal help: Contact Legal Services Delaware if you need help with benefits, housing, or civil legal issues.
• Use backup supports: Push SNAP, school meals, Medicaid, emergency housing, and the kinship program at the same time if one office is slow.

Local resources

Resumen en español

Si usted es abuelo, abuela u otro familiar criando a un niño en Delaware, empiece con una solicitud en ASSIST para TANF solo para el niño, SNAP y cobertura médica. Si el niño llegó a su casa hace menos de 180 días, pregunte por el Kinship Care Program. No espere a terminar la tutela para pedir ayuda básica.

Si necesita inscribir al niño en la escuela, use la autorización escolar para cuidadores familiares. Si necesita llevar al niño al médico, revise la autorización médica. Si DFS colocó al niño con usted, pregunte si el caso cuenta como foster care. Eso puede cambiar pagos, Medicaid y reglas de la corte. Para ayuda local, llame al 211 o al ADRC al 1-800-223-9074.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get child-only TANF without guardianship?

Often, yes. Delaware says a non-parent caretaker can be the payee for related children in their care. Ask DSS for a child-only TANF screening and explain that the parent is not living in your home.

Does Delaware have a long-term kinship stipend?

Delaware clearly publishes short-term Kinship Care Program help tied to the first 180 days after the child moves in. It does not clearly publish a broad long-term monthly stipend for private grandparent caregivers outside foster care.

Can I enroll my grandchild in school before court?

Delaware’s school affidavit may allow a relative caregiver to enroll a child without custody or guardianship. If some proof is missing, Delaware law gives a path using a date-stamped custody or guardianship petition within 10 business days.

Can I take my grandchild to the doctor?

Delaware’s medical affidavit may let a relative caregiver approve routine medical care for a child living in the caregiver’s home. Keep a signed and notarized copy for appointments.

What if DFS placed the child with me?

Call DFS Foster Care and ask whether you are a foster placement, kinship foster placement, or private relative caregiver. That answer affects payments, Medicaid, training, home approval, and court steps.

Where should I start if I am overwhelmed?

Start with safety, then benefits, then school and medical authority. Call DSS for benefits, 211 for local help, ADRC for caregiver support, and Legal Services Delaware if you need help with court, housing, or benefit problems.

About This Guide

This guide uses official federal, state, local, and other high-trust nonprofit and community sources mentioned in the article.

Editorial note: This guide is produced based on our Editorial Standards using official and other high-trust sources, regularly updated and monitored, but not affiliated with any government agency and not a substitute for official agency guidance. Individual eligibility outcomes cannot be guaranteed.

Verification: Last verified 27 May 2026, next review 27 August 2026.

Corrections: Please note that despite our careful verification process, errors may still occur. Email info@grantsforseniors.org with corrections and we will respond within 72 hours.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal, financial, medical, tax, disability-rights, immigration, or government-agency advice. Program rules, policies, and availability can change. Readers should confirm current details directly with the official program before acting.

Last updated: 27 May 2026

Next review: 27 August 2026