Kinship carer support helps relatives and close family friends care for children who cannot live with their parents. This guide explains practical advice, financial assistance, resources and ongoing support, helping carers understand their options and responsibilities.
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Kinship care is an arrangement in which a child lives with a relative or another adult who already has a close connection with them, rather than with a parent. It may be informal, or it may have a legal framework such as kinship foster care, a child arrangements order or a special guardianship order. The type of arrangement affects who makes decisions for the child and what help the carer can request.
When a local authority asks someone to care for a child, it will usually assess whether the proposed home and carer can meet the child’s needs safely. This can include checks on the household, relationships, health, accommodation and ability to work with professionals. Where the arrangement is foster care, the relative or connected person must complete the relevant fostering assessment and preparation.
Kinship carers should ask which legal route is being considered and what support applies to it before making decisions. Keep written information about appointments, school matters, contact arrangements and professional advice, and raise changes in the child’s needs promptly. A supervising social worker, the child’s social worker or a specialist kinship adviser can explain responsibilities, available resources and any financial assistance linked to the arrangement.
Use this checklist to compare the practical support available to kinship carers, including advice routes, financial assistance, training, records, contact arrangements, education, health needs and reviews. It can help you identify questions for social workers and local services.
Ask whether the child is being cared for informally or under a formal arrangement, such as kinship foster care, a child arrangements order or a special guardianship order. This determines decision-making rights, duties and access to support.
Keep the details of the child’s social worker, supervising social worker, local authority contact or specialist kinship adviser. Ask who to contact about changes in circumstances, safeguarding concerns, permissions and day-to-day decisions.
Request a written explanation of the financial help linked to the proposed arrangement. Support can differ according to the legal status, the child’s needs and the local authority’s policies, so clarify eligibility, application steps and any review arrangements.
If the arrangement is kinship foster care, ask what assessment, checks and preparation are required. Training should help you understand safeguarding, trauma, behaviour, safer caring and working with the child’s parents and professionals.
Clarify how contact with parents and other important relatives will be arranged, supervised and recorded. Make sure you understand who can change the arrangements and how to report concerns if contact becomes unsuitable for the child.
Maintain an organised record of significant appointments, decisions, incidents, professional advice and communications. Written information can help you prepare for reviews, explain the child’s needs and track agreed actions.
Ask how information about the child’s education, health, appointments and additional needs will be shared with you. Confirm which decisions you can make and when consent or professional involvement is required.
Find out when the arrangement will be reviewed and what information you should provide. Discuss changes in the child’s needs, your household or the care plan early so that support and responsibilities can be reconsidered appropriately.
Check whether support includes a named adviser, written financial information, relevant training, peer opportunities, advocacy, review meetings, complaints guidance, and help coordinating education, healthcare and contact arrangements throughout the placement.
Legal status determines decision-making authority, assessment duties, financial arrangements and review rights. Ask for written confirmation of the order, responsible professionals, delegated authority, appeals process and support available to you.
Training should cover safeguarding, trauma, attachment, behaviour, first aid, equality and safe care, with refreshers where needed. Ask how learning applies to kinship arrangements and supports ongoing professional development needs.
Resources for kinship carers are practical sources of guidance, planning tools and reliable contacts, including local authority directories, education information, health services, record templates and safeguarding advice. Check dates carefully.
When arrangements become difficult, contact the child’s social worker or supervising professional, record concerns, request a review, and seek independent advocacy where safety, relationships, behaviour or placement stability are affected.
Use the points below to organise questions around your household, the child’s age and needs, your relationship with them, and the stage of your kinship care journey, from initial discussions through assessment, approval and ongoing reviews.
Think about the child’s age, health, education, routines and emotional wellbeing. Ask what support, appointments, contact with parents or practical adjustments may be needed in your home.
Your existing relationship with the child can help provide continuity, but it may also bring complicated family dynamics. Discuss boundaries, communication and contact arrangements with the professionals involved.
Consider how caring for the child may affect everyone in your household, including other children and anyone who shares caring responsibilities. The assessment will consider your home, relationships, health and ability to provide safe care.
Ask which financial assistance applies to your specific kinship care arrangement. Support can differ between informal care, kinship foster care, a child arrangements order and a special guardianship order, so check how payments may affect your wider circumstances.
Your questions will change as you move from initial discussions to assessment, approval and ongoing reviews. Keep records of agreed actions and raise changes in the child’s needs, school circumstances or contact arrangements promptly.
Kinship carer support brings together clear guidance, practical resources and help with understanding financial assistance for relative caregivers. It can help you identify which questions to ask, where responsibilities sit and what information you may need before agreeing to a care arrangement.
Local knowledge is important because procedures and support pathways can differ between councils. We explain information plainly, distinguish general guidance from formal legal or financial advice, and signpost relevant services when specialist input is needed. This gives you a clearer basis for discussing your circumstances with the professionals involved.
Our practical experience helps us focus on the issues that affect day-to-day family life, including education, health appointments, contact and household planning. We can help you organise your concerns, understand available resources for kinship caregivers and identify sensible next steps as the child’s needs develop.
Official figures do not capture every kinship arrangement, particularly where relatives provide care informally. That means published totals cannot show the full scale of kinship care, and individual support needs must be assessed separately.
Financial assistance may depend on the legal arrangement, council assessment, household circumstances and the child’s needs. Ask what allowances, grants, benefits or practical resources may apply before making decisions.
Keep dated notes on agreements, meetings, decisions, expenses, contact arrangements, the child’s progress and concerns. Store them securely, distinguish facts from opinions, and retain relevant correspondence to support future discussions.
Contact arrangements should reflect the child’s welfare, wishes, relationships and safeguarding needs. Clarify who coordinates visits, where they occur, supervision, cancellations, communication methods and how plans are reviewed with professionals.
Ask whether the child has a designated teacher, an education plan, additional learning support or specific meeting arrangements, and how kinship carers can contribute to decisions and receive updates regularly.
Decision-making authority usually depends on parental responsibility, court orders and the legal arrangement. Clarify who consents to routine treatment, specialist care and emergencies, and how clinicians should involve you appropriately.
If you are considering kinship care, speak with our team about your circumstances. We can help you identify relevant support, clarify what to ask professionals and consider practical next steps without committing you to an application.