For Foster & Kinship Caregivers

Foster and kinship caregivers: keeping a child's medical record when it arrives in pieces

A child enters your home on a Tuesday evening. The caseworker hands you a folder — inside is an insurance card, a form from a doctor you have never heard of, and a vaccination record that may or may not be current. The child has been to three pediatricians in two years. No one can tell you the last time they had a well-child visit, whether the rash on their arm has been seen, or what happened at the ER visit six months ago. The record is not missing. It is scattered.

In short — what you need to know

Start with what you have. Even one piece of paper is a start. The vaccination card, the insurance card, the name of the last pediatrician — that is the seed. Build from there.
You have the right to the child's medical records. Foster parents are generally authorized to access and maintain medical records for children in their care. Your placement agency or caseworker can confirm the specific authorization in your state. Ask for it in writing.
Build one record that travels with the child. Every person gets one health story, and one private Family Stork email address every clinic already knows how to use. When the child's doctors send records to that address, the story builds itself — and stays whole even if the child moves to a new placement.

Why foster and kinship children's records are scattered

For a child in foster or kinship care, the normal scattering of medical records is compounded by moves. Each placement may bring a new pediatrician, a new pharmacy, a new state. Records from a prior placement may be in a portal that nobody has credentials for, in a paper file at a clinic that has closed, or in the memory of a caseworker who has since changed roles.

Kinship caregivers — grandparents, aunts, uncles, family friends who step in — often have even less to start with. The transition may be informal. The child may not arrive with any paperwork at all. The grandparent knows the child but not the child's medical history in any organized form.

The goal is not to recreate the past perfectly. The goal is to build a record going forward that stays with the child — through placements, through providers, and eventually into their own hands.

Step 1: Gather what exists before the first doctor visit

Before the child sees a new pediatrician, collect what you can. Sources to check:

The placement paperwork — the caseworker should provide any known medical history, insurance information, and immunization records. Ask specifically for the Health and Education Passport (or your state's equivalent) if the agency uses one.
The prior pediatrician — if you have a name, call them. Explain you are the child's foster/kinship caregiver and need the medical records. Most states authorize foster parents to request records; bring your placement documentation.
The state immunization registry — most states maintain a registry of childhood vaccinations. Your pediatrician can usually access this, or you can contact the state health department directly. This is often the fastest way to know what vaccinations are up to date.
School records — if the child was enrolled in school, the school may have copies of the immunization record and the physical examination form.
The insurance card — Medicaid covers most children in foster care. The card tells the new pediatrician what network and plan to work with.

Do not delay the first doctor visit waiting for records. Bring what you have, explain the situation honestly, and ask the pediatrician to start a new baseline. A complete physical exam on arrival is standard practice for children entering foster care. Your pediatrician will understand.

Step 2: Start the record — one place, going forward

Once the child is in your care, every new visit summary, vaccination, lab result, and prescription becomes part of their record. The question is where that record lives.

A paper folder works until the child moves and the folder does not follow. A patient portal works until the child changes providers and loses access. The record that lasts is the one that does not belong to any single provider or placement.

In Family Stork, the child's record includes a private email address (shown on the record, in the form slug@families.familystork.com). Share that address with the pediatrician, the dentist, the specialist. When a visit summary comes in, it files itself. When the child moves to a new placement or a new provider, the record goes with them — because it does not live in any one provider's system.

Helpers — including foster caregivers — see only what the family (or agency) chooses to share. The child's record is not yours to own. You are its keeper for now. More about how foster and kinship caregivers use Family Stork.

Step 3: Keep the record organized through changes

Children in foster care often see more providers than other children — intake physicals, developmental screenings, dental exams, vision tests, therapy appointments, and specialist referrals. Keeping the record organized through all of this requires a system, not a memory.

After every visit: confirm the visit summary arrived in the record. If the provider does not email summaries, ask for a printed copy and add it.
After every vaccination: confirm it appears in both the record and the state immunization registry.
After every medication change: update the medication list. Foster children may be on medications prescribed by prior providers — the current provider needs the complete list.
Before every placement review or court date: print the current record summary (the Family Health Passport) so the caseworker and any involved parties have the latest health picture.

When the child moves: handing the record forward

If the child reunifies with their family, moves to a new placement, or ages out, the record should go with them. This is perhaps the most important moment — the one where records are most often lost.

Print a complete record summary — medications, vaccinations, provider list, visit history — and hand it to the receiving caregiver, the caseworker, or the young person themselves.
Transfer access to the digital record. If the child is reunifying with a parent, the agency can transfer record ownership. If the child is aging out, the record becomes theirs.
Include the private address that clinics already have on file. When the next provider sends a summary, it will arrive in the record the child already has — even though they now have a new caregiver, a new home, or their own apartment.

The record is the child's. You built it for them. Held for them, then handed to them.

FAQ — health records for foster and kinship caregivers

Can I access the child's prior medical records as a foster parent?

In most states, yes — foster parents are authorized to access and maintain medical records for children placed in their care. The specifics vary by state. Ask your placement agency for written documentation of your authorization, and bring it when requesting records from prior providers. If the provider is hesitant, involve your caseworker — they can usually facilitate the release.

What if the child arrives with no medical records at all?

Start fresh with the first visit. Schedule a comprehensive physical exam with a pediatrician experienced in foster care (many Medicaid plans have a network of providers familiar with foster care health needs). The pediatrician will establish a baseline — height, weight, developmental screening, vision, hearing, dental referral, and a review of what vaccinations may be needed. Check the state immunization registry for any prior vaccinations — that may be the one record that survived the move.

I am a kinship caregiver, not a licensed foster parent — can I still access records?

It depends on your legal status. If you have been granted legal custody, guardianship, or a kinship foster care placement through the courts or the child welfare agency, you generally have the same record-access rights as a licensed foster parent. If the arrangement is informal (no court order), access may be more limited. Ask the child's caseworker (if one exists) or consult a family law attorney in your state about your specific situation. Many states have kinship navigator programs that can help.

How do I handle records for a child with a complex medical history?

Ask the caseworker for a copy of the child's Health and Education Passport (or equivalent) and any medical summaries from prior placements. Ask the current or most recent pediatrician for a comprehensive summary. For children with ongoing conditions — asthma, allergies, behavioral health needs, developmental delays — ask each specialist to send records to the private address on the child's Family Stork record. The goal is one place where any provider can see the full picture. Ask your pediatrician what they need most from prior providers; they will tell you exactly what to prioritize.

What happens to the record when the child ages out of foster care?

The record belongs to the young person. When a child ages out (typically at 18 or 21, depending on the state), transfer ownership of the digital record to them. Print a complete summary — medications, vaccinations, provider list, visit history — and hand it to them along with the digital access. This may be the only organized medical history they have ever had. It is theirs to carry forward — to a college health center, a new city, a new doctor, a first job with health insurance.

Start the child's record — it travels with them

One timeline from birth. One private address that clinics already know how to use. Held for them, then handed to them. Free forever to organize — $99/year for Family Stork to do the work.

Start a child's record