Who qualifies for kinship fostering payments?

Eligibility for kinship fostering payments usually depends on your legal fostering status, rather than simply being related to the child. You will generally need to be approved, or temporarily approved where the law allows, as a connected person foster carer by the local authority responsible for the child’s care. The child must also be placed with you under the authority’s formal fostering arrangements.

Kinship foster carers are often relatives or people already known to the child, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings or close family friends. Being an approved kinship foster carer does not normally require you to have fostered before. However, you must demonstrate that you can provide safe, consistent and appropriate care for the child.

The usual eligibility considerations include:

• being aged 18 or over;
• having a suitable relationship with, or connection to, the child;
• having enough space and suitable living conditions for the placement;
• being able to meet the child’s day-to-day needs and support their health, education and development;
• completing the required checks, including criminal record, identity, health and references checks;
• taking part in an assessment of your suitability and your household’s circumstances; and
• completing the relevant preparation or training required by the fostering service.

The assessment considers more than your relationship with the child. The fostering service may look at your parenting or caring experience, household members, support network, finances, health, home environment and ability to work with social workers and other professionals. Previous convictions or health conditions do not automatically prevent approval, but they must be considered as part of the overall safeguarding assessment.

Where a child needs to be placed urgently, the local authority may use temporary approval arrangements while further assessment is completed. The financial arrangements for a temporary or emergency placement should be explained to you at the time. Ask for confirmation of when payments begin, what rate applies and what conditions you must meet.

Approval does not always mean the same payment everywhere. Each fostering service sets its own allowance scheme within the relevant legal and regulatory framework. The amount can depend on factors such as the child’s age, needs, the type of placement and whether additional payments or expenses are available. Some authorities may have specific arrangements for family and friends foster carers, so you should request the current written policy rather than rely on an informal estimate.

A payment may not be available simply because you are caring for a related child. Different arrangements, such as an informal family arrangement, a child arrangements order or a special guardianship order, have different legal and financial consequences. They should not be assumed to carry the same fostering allowance as an approved foster placement.

The process for confirming eligibility normally involves:

• contacting the child’s social worker or the local authority fostering service;
• explaining your relationship with the child and the proposed care arrangement;
• completing an initial discussion or enquiry;
• taking part in checks, training and a full connected-person assessment;
• receiving an approval decision through the fostering service’s procedure; and
• agreeing the placement terms, allowance and any additional support in writing.

If you are approved, read the fostering agreement and the child’s placement plan carefully. These documents should clarify your responsibilities, the support available, how allowances are paid and whether particular expenses need prior agreement. Keep records of agreed costs and ask the supervising social worker or the child’s social worker if the arrangement changes.

Kinship fostering rules and payment policies can differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as between individual local authorities. For a West Midlands placement, the relevant authority is usually the council responsible for the child’s care, even if you live in another council area. A fostering adviser can help you identify which service to contact and explain the information you may need before applying.