Are foster carer support groups suitable for kinship carers?

Yes. Foster carer support groups can be suitable for kinship carers, particularly when they provide peer support about caring for a child within the wider family or friendship network. Their usefulness depends on the group’s purpose, who attends and whether its discussions relate to the kinship carer’s legal and practical circumstances.

Kinship care covers different arrangements. A kinship carer may be caring for a relative or friend’s child informally, under a child arrangements order, as a special guardian, or as an approved foster carer for a connected child. These arrangements can involve different responsibilities, decision-making powers, reviews, training requirements and financial support. A group designed mainly for approved foster carers may therefore be helpful in some respects but not answer every question a kinship carer has.

For example, foster carers may discuss working with supervising social workers, placement planning, delegated authority, fostering reviews and contact arrangements with birth families. A kinship carer may face similar issues, but the relevant process and the professionals involved may be different. Kinship carers may also need to discuss family relationships, changes in their role within the child’s life, court proceedings or contact with parents. These subjects may not receive much attention in a foster-only group.

What kinship carers may gain from attending

• Practical ideas for routines, boundaries, education, appointments and responding to behaviour linked to loss or change.
• An opportunity to compare experiences with people caring for children who already know them.
• Understanding of how foster carers record information, work with professionals and contribute to care planning.
• Peer reassurance about the effects of taking on a caring role while managing existing family relationships.
• Suggestions for questions to raise with a social worker, local authority, fostering service or legal adviser.

A group can also help kinship carers understand the difference between general parenting advice and support linked to a child’s care status. However, other members’ experiences should not be treated as a substitute for advice about an individual child or legal arrangement.

When a different group may be more appropriate

A kinship-care-specific group may be a better fit where the main concerns involve court orders, parental contact, family conflict, benefits, housing, education rights or the relationship between the carer and the child’s parents. A group for special guardians or connected carers may also provide more relevant information than a general fostering group. Some carers choose to attend both types: one for the child’s legal and family circumstances, and another for day-to-day caring techniques and professional practice.

Kinship carers should also check whether the group is intended for carers at a particular stage. A group for people already managing an approved fostering placement may be less relevant to someone still considering whether to apply for a legal order. Conversely, an introductory group may not provide enough detail for a carer managing complex contact or safeguarding arrangements.

Questions to ask before joining

• Are kinship carers, connected carers or special guardians allowed to attend?
• Are discussions limited to approved foster carers and their fostering agency’s procedures?
• Does the group include carers with different legal arrangements?
• How are confidentiality and safeguarding concerns handled?
• Can attendees ask questions about family contact, education or professional involvement?
• Is the group peer-led, professionally facilitated or a mixture of both?
• Will any training or advice be specific to fostering rather than kinship care?

It is sensible to explain the child’s care arrangement to the organiser in general terms before attending, without sharing unnecessary personal information. This helps the organiser confirm whether the sessions are relevant and identify any boundaries around confidential case discussions.

Keep professional support separate

A support group is usually a place to exchange experiences, not to make decisions about safeguarding, contact, medical consent, court proceedings or the child’s formal care plan. Kinship carers should raise those matters with the professionals responsible for the child’s arrangement. Where a kinship carer is also an approved foster carer, the fostering service’s supervision, training and review processes remain separate from informal peer support.

In practice, a foster carer support group is likely to be worthwhile when its membership is genuinely open to kinship carers and the subjects discussed match their needs. If the group focuses narrowly on fostering regulations or agency procedures, it may still offer useful insight but should be supplemented with specialist kinship-care advice. Asking about the group’s remit beforehand allows a kinship carer to choose support that reflects both the child’s needs and the carer’s legal responsibilities.