Can I become a kinship carer if the child does not live with me?

If the child continues to live elsewhere, you would not usually be recognised as their kinship carer. You may still provide important support as a relative or someone known to the child, but formal kinship care generally applies when you take on day-to-day responsibility for the child’s care, either temporarily or on a longer-term basis.

The position may be different where the child spends regular, substantial periods in your care. For example, you might provide overnight care while their parent deals with illness, domestic abuse, imprisonment, substance misuse or another crisis. Whether this amounts to a formal kinship care arrangement depends on the circumstances, including:

• how often the child stays with you and for how long;
• who makes decisions about their health, education and daily routine;
• whether you are responsible for meeting their everyday needs;
• whether the arrangement is intended to be temporary or ongoing; and
• whether children’s services are involved.

An informal arrangement between family members may be possible where the child is safe and their parent remains able to make appropriate decisions. However, informal care does not give you the same legal authority as a formal order or approval. You may need the parent’s agreement for matters such as medical treatment, school communication, travel and access to records.

If the child may need to move in with you, contact the local authority children’s services team as soon as possible. The authority may need to consider you as a connected person or family-and-friends carer. This usually involves checks and an assessment of your suitability, your household and the child’s needs. The assessment may consider:

• your relationship with the child and your understanding of their history;
• your ability to provide a safe, stable and nurturing home;
• any other children or adults in your household;
• your health, accommodation and finances;
• your ability to work with the child’s parents and professionals; and
• how you would support the child’s education, identity, culture and contact with important people.

The eventual arrangement could take different forms. Depending on the child’s circumstances, you might become an approved kinship foster carer, apply for a child arrangements order, or be considered for a special guardianship order. These options have different rules about parental responsibility, decision-making, supervision, financial support and the level of involvement from children’s services. The appropriate route should be discussed with the local authority and, where necessary, an independent family law solicitor.

If you are caring for the child regularly but they still have another main home, ask the local authority whether any safeguarding, registration or assessment requirements apply. Certain arrangements can fall under specific legal rules, particularly where a child is cared for by someone who is not a close relative or where care is provided for an extended period. Do not assume that a private family arrangement is automatically outside the children’s services framework.

Financial support depends on the legal status of the arrangement and the local authority’s policies. An informal relative providing occasional care should not assume that they will receive a kinship care allowance. Approved foster carers and people caring under a court order may have different types of support available. Ask for the details in writing before the child moves in, including who pays for essential items, what support is offered and how future changes in the child’s needs will be reviewed.

In practical terms, you can remain involved in the child’s life while they live elsewhere, but that involvement is not normally the same as being their formal kinship carer. If you are considering taking on more responsibility, early advice from the local authority can help establish whether the arrangement should remain informal or whether an assessment and legal framework are needed.