Which kinship care resources can help household members understand their roles?
Useful kinship care resources include role guides, written family agreements, age-appropriate explanations for children and information from social workers or kinship support services. Together, these resources clarify who provides day-to-day care, how decisions are made, what contact arrangements apply and how other household members can offer appropriate support.
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The most useful kinship care resources for household members are practical, role-specific materials that explain responsibilities, boundaries, communication and confidentiality. A well-organised set of resources helps the main carer, their partner, children and other people living in the home understand how the arrangement affects them without giving anyone responsibilities they are not qualified or authorised to take on.
Resources for the main kinship carer should explain the limits of their authority, the professionals involved and the records they may need to keep. Useful materials include guidance on consent, health appointments, education, information-sharing, benefits and support payments. These resources help the carer distinguish between routine care and decisions that may need agreement from the child’s parents, the local authority, a social worker or another relevant professional.
A simple household handbook can bring this information together. It might contain:
- the child’s important contacts and professional appointments;
- details of who should be contacted about health, education or safeguarding concerns;
- agreed routines for meals, homework, transport, activities and bedtime;
- information about privacy, photographs, social media and visitors;
- guidance on recording incidents, changes in behaviour or significant conversations; and
- clear instructions about what to do in an emergency.
The handbook should be treated as a working document rather than a fixed set of rules. Review it when the child’s needs, school arrangements, legal circumstances or household membership changes. Sensitive information should be stored securely, with only the people who need it having access.
Resources for a kinship carer’s partner or another adult in the home should focus on consistent, safe support. Training or information from a local authority, kinship support service or safeguarding professional can explain appropriate conduct, confidentiality, safer caring and how to raise concerns. It should also make clear which tasks the adult can undertake and which decisions remain with the person who has formal responsibility for the child.
Adults may benefit from a short written role profile. This could set out practical contributions such as school runs, cooking or supervision, while confirming that support does not automatically confer parental responsibility. It is important that adults do not promise secrecy, question a child repeatedly about sensitive matters or contact professionals independently where a specific reporting route has been agreed.
Resources for children already living in the household need to be age-appropriate and easy to revisit. A child-friendly household guide, picture-based routine, feelings chart or question box can help them understand what is changing. These materials should explain that the child joining the household may need extra attention, privacy and support, while making clear that existing children can still ask for time with the adults who care for them.
Children in the household should not be made responsible for supervising, disciplining or emotionally supporting the child in kinship care. A resource for them should identify trusted adults they can speak to and explain how to seek help if they feel worried, unsafe or overwhelmed. Their views can be included in household discussions, but they should not be expected to make decisions that belong to adults or professionals.
Resources for the child’s wider family can reduce misunderstandings about involvement. A carefully worded information sheet may explain who the child lives with, how family communication will be managed, what information is private and how relatives can offer practical help. It should avoid sharing unnecessary personal details and should reflect any directions or agreements governing family contact.
Household members may also find the following resources useful:
- kinship carer training covering trauma, attachment, behaviour and safeguarding;
- school and health information that explains how to communicate with professionals appropriately;
- family meeting templates for reviewing routines and concerns;
- wellbeing resources that help household members recognise stress and ask for support;
- independent advice about the child’s legal arrangement; and
- contact details for the child’s social worker, family support worker, local kinship service or advocacy organisation.
Use resources as prompts for discussion, not as a substitute for professional advice. If guidance conflicts with a court order, care plan, written agreement or direction from a responsible professional, follow the formal document and ask for clarification. Reviewing the resource pack together at regular points helps household members remain clear about their roles as the child grows and circumstances develop.
Scenario cards are useful kinship care resources because they show how household roles work in everyday situations. Rather than relying on general descriptions, each card presents a possible event and asks household members what they would do, who they would speak to and which decisions are outside their role.
Examples might include a child asking an adult to keep a worrying secret, a relative requesting private information, a disagreement about a household rule or a change in the child’s behaviour. Discussing these examples together can reveal different assumptions before they cause confusion. Record any unanswered questions and raise them with the child’s social worker, local kinship support service or another appropriate professional.
Use the cards as discussion prompts, not tests. They should help adults and children understand the boundaries of their involvement while giving everyone an opportunity to say what they find unclear or difficult.
Get guidance on kinship care resources and household roles
For guidance on applying these resources to your household’s circumstances, speak with a kinship care adviser before finalising roles or routines. They can help you identify which questions to raise with the relevant professionals.