Half of Maryland children under age 10 who were in out-of-home care were living with relatives, neighbors or other trusted adults as of July, a state milestone that represents a sharp increase in kinship placements over two years.
The Moore administration and Maryland Department of Human Services said the share reached 50% in July 2026, up from 34.5% in July 2024. The change means more than 230 additional children under 10 remained with family by blood or choice while in foster care, according to the state’s September 17 announcement.
The measure is specific: it covers children younger than 10 in out-of-home care, not every child in Maryland’s foster-care system. Across all ages, the state said more than 440 additional young people were living with kin compared with the period before Maryland’s 2024 kinship-care law took effect. DHS reported that the overall kinship-placement rate has risen 46% since then.
Maryland’s approach gives relatives and people with an established family-like relationship priority when a child cannot safely remain at home. The department’s Family Matters initiative says these placements can preserve connections to siblings, schools, communities and cultural identity while reducing the trauma of removal. The policy also broadens assistance for caregivers and removes licensing barriers that previously made financial support harder to obtain.
Licensing rose alongside placements
The state attributes part of the increase to a simplified licensing process. Licensed kinship caregivers rose from 25% in December 2024 to 88% in September 2026, and DHS said it invested an additional $5 million to support those caregivers. Licensing is consequential because it allows eligible kin to receive financial assistance while caring for a child placed by the department.
The policy direction is consistent with national research, although Maryland’s reported gains are administrative results rather than proof of a particular long-term outcome. A Casey Family Programs review of a study involving 529 participants with kinship-care experience found that children placed with kin generally had greater stability and maintained community and family connections. The same research identified licensing requirements, limited agency capacity and unequal access to financial and legal support as recurring barriers.
Maryland makes broader placement and family-preservation information available through the Social Services Administration dashboard and linked annual reports. Those records provide important context for the headline percentage, including trends in out-of-home placement and state efforts to preserve families.
Families considering kinship care can use the DHS resource kit to find information about education, health, housing, legal help and financial support. Local social-services offices remain responsible for placement assessment, licensing and case-specific guidance.
The July figure marks progress toward Maryland’s stated “kin-first” policy, but it is not the end of a child’s case. Reunification, guardianship or adoption decisions remain individualized and subject to safety reviews and court oversight. The practical change is that more children who must enter care are beginning that period with someone they already know.
