We understand the unique needs of kinship families and are ready to help kinship caregivers learn about and access programs and services to meet their needs and the needs of the children they are raising.
Additional resources for more specific needs can be accessed by emailing us at parentlink@missouri.edu or 1-833-546-4543.
Regional Family Resource Centers
Regional Family Resource Centers are not-for-profit agencies that cover specific counties in the state and work with the Missouri Department of Social Services Children’s Division to provide support, services, and resources to meet the unique needs of foster, adoptive, relative, and guardianship children and their families.
To find which Family Resource Center is in your area, visit the Missouri Department of Social Services website.
The Central Missouri Foster Care & Adoption Association
A not-for-profit agency that educates, supports, and advocates for foster, adoptive, and kinship children, youth, and families in central Missouri by offering services and partnering with community and governmental agencies to develop healthy and self-sufficient individuals and families.
Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition
An organization that strives to create permanency in foster children’s lives by recruiting and supporting foster and adoptive families in the metropolitan St. Louis region.
An organization dedicated to provide foster and adoptive children a stable, loving and nurturing family environment by support and advocacy for abused and neglected children and the families caring for them
FamilyForward moves vulnerable children in the direction of hope by delivering comprehensive therapeutic and educational services to support biological, foster, and adoptive families.
Basic Needs
Find essential resources in the following areas:
- Food
- Housing
- Utilities Assistance
- Material Goods
- Transportation
Individual and Family Support
Find individual and family support resources in the following areas:
- Child Care
- Child Development
- Family Mediation
- Physical Health
- Mental Health
- Employment
- Family Support Division Child Support Program
- Income Support
Education
Find education resources in the following areas:
- Education Support
- Virtual Tutoring
- Homeschool
Additional Information
AARP Grandparent Information Center
Offers resources for grandparents of all types – those living close by or long distance, grandparents raising grandchildren, step grandparents, or those with visitation issues.
ABA Center on Children and the Law
Center for Parent Information & Resources
Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP)
Assures that nutritious meals and snacks are served to children and eligible adults enrolled in child care centers, family child care homes, after school programs, emergency shelters, and adult day care programs by providing reimbursement for meals that meet minimum nutritional standards.
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
A national membership organization focused on improving the lives of children, youth, and older adults through intergenerational strategies, programs, and public policies. Their website provides resources, fact sheets, and information about local, regional, state, and national support groups and services for grandparents raising grandchildren.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children.
Missouri Early Head Start and Child Care Partnership Project
A nationally recognized effort to increase the capacity of and access to care for this vulnerable age group and to provide parents with a wider variety of quality child care settings from which to choose.
National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections
The National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections is a training, technical assistance, and information services organization dedicated to help strengthen the capacity of State, local, Tribal and other publicly administered or supported child welfare agencies.
North American Council on Adoptable Children
An organization dedicated to those grandparents and other relative caregivers who are raising their grandchildren, their nieces or nephews either by court order or voluntarily. The website provides online support groups, information and referrals for kin caregivers.
Listings of local, regional, and state relatives-as-parents programs, state fact sheets on kinship care, and links to other relatives-as-parents program websites and resources.
Offers a 24/7 connection to resources and agencies. Dial 2-1-1 to speak to a trained professional 24 hours a day, seven days a week. TTY (1.866.385.6525) and multilingual services are also available. If you are using a cell phone dial 800.427.4626. Your phone call is confidential and free.