Clearer Assessment Preparation
Guidance helps relatives understand the assessment process, gather relevant information and consider how their circumstances may affect the child’s care.
Kinship Foster Care
Kinship foster care is an arrangement where a child lives with a relative or another adult they already know, such as a grandparent, sibling, aunt or family friend. It involves assessment, preparation and ongoing support.
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When might kinship foster care be needed?
Kinship foster care may be needed when a child’s parents cannot provide safe, consistent care because of illness, bereavement, domestic abuse, substance misuse, imprisonment or serious personal difficulties. A relative or another connected adult may then be considered to care for the child rather than an unrelated foster carer.
Families often explore this option when a child needs to remain connected to familiar people, school, routines and wider relatives. Grandparents, aunts, uncles and older siblings may consider becoming carers, but need to think carefully about space, finances, work, health and the effect on other children in their household.
Kinship care can also be considered when arrangements begin informally and the child’s longer-term needs are still being reviewed. Speaking to the local authority and a fostering service can help relatives understand whether foster care, a special guardianship order or another legal arrangement is most suitable for the child’s circumstances.
How Kinship Foster Care Works
Deciding whether kinship foster care is right requires a clear understanding of eligibility, assessment requirements, training, financial arrangements and ongoing support. The guidance below explains what to expect and which questions to raise before making a formal decision.
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Check whether you may qualify
Kinship foster carers are usually adults with an existing relationship to the child, such as relatives or close family friends. You will generally need to be able to provide a safe home, work cooperatively with professionals and meet the child’s day-to-day needs.
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Expect background and home checks
The assessment normally considers your identity, health, household circumstances, finances, criminal record and ability to care for the child. Your home will also be checked for safety, privacy and suitable sleeping arrangements.
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Understand the assessment process
A social worker will discuss your relationship with the child, your understanding of their history and your capacity to manage contact with parents and other relatives. Be prepared to provide personal information and take part in meetings, interviews and references.
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Complete preparation and training
Training helps you understand safeguarding, attachment, trauma, behaviour, contact arrangements and the responsibilities of a foster carer. It is also an opportunity to identify support or practical adjustments that may be needed before the child moves in.
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Ask how financial support works
Approved kinship foster carers may receive a fostering allowance to help meet the child’s everyday costs, although arrangements vary according to the responsible fostering service and the child’s needs. Ask how payments, expenses, equipment and tax treatment are handled before accepting a placement.
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Plan for family contact
Contact with the child’s parents and other relatives may form part of the care plan. Clarify who will arrange contact, where it will take place, what supervision is required and how disagreements or changes will be managed.
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Find out what support continues
Ask what help is available after approval, including a named supervising worker, regular reviews, advice during difficult situations, support groups, respite options and access to further training. Consider how this support would work alongside your existing family, employment and caring responsibilities.
Support That Helps Kinship Carers Plan and Adapt
Kinship foster care involves decisions that affect family relationships as well as a child’s day-to-day care. Specialist guidance can help relatives consider contact with parents, school and health arrangements, household boundaries and the child’s wishes before plans are agreed.
Support makes responsibilities clearer, helps carers manage circumstances and keeps decisions focused on safety, stability and continuity for the child.
A Practical Home Plan
Carers can work through sleeping arrangements, privacy, transport and household routines before the child moves in.
Managing Family Relationships
Support can help carers think through contact with parents, changing family roles and boundaries that protect the child’s wellbeing.
Understanding Financial Support
Information about fostering allowances and household costs helps relatives plan realistically for the financial responsibilities of caring for a child.
Relevant Preparation and Training
Training gives kinship carers a clearer understanding of safeguarding, trauma, behaviour and how a child’s experiences may affect everyday life.
Adapting as Needs Change
Ongoing guidance helps carers review arrangements as the child develops, family circumstances change or longer-term decisions are considered.
Understanding Kinship Foster Care Options
Formal kinship foster care is approved by a fostering service when a child is placed with someone they know. Unlike informal kinship care, which may be arranged within a family, formal fostering follows fostering regulations and gives the carer defined duties, support and oversight.
A relative or connected person normally applies through the local authority or fostering service. Checks can include criminal record screening, health information, household assessments, references and preparation training. The assessment considers whether the proposed kinship home can meet the child’s needs safely and consistently.
Approved kinship foster carers may receive fostering allowances, subject to the responsible fostering service’s policy. A special guardianship order or another legal arrangement has different responsibilities and financial rules, so obtain advice before changing an existing family placement.
Common Questions About Kinship Foster Care
Can I become a kinship foster carer if I work full-time?
Yes, relatives or connected adults may be assessed as kinship foster carers. Eligibility depends on safeguarding checks, household suitability, training and ability to meet the child’s needs safely and consistently.
What checks are needed to become a kinship foster carer?
Checks typically include identity, Disclosure and Barring Service screening, health, references, household circumstances and safeguarding enquiries. Your assessing social worker explains each stage and considers the child’s needs throughout assessment.
Can grandparents become kinship foster carers?
Grandparents can become kinship foster carers if approved to care for the child. Assessment considers their relationship, capacity, home circumstances and ability to provide safe, stable, consistent care each day.
Can a family friend become a kinship foster carer?
A family friend may qualify as a connected person foster carer if they know the child and can provide suitable care. The local authority decides whether kinship fostering is appropriate.
Do kinship foster carers receive an allowance?
Approved kinship foster carers may receive fostering allowances, although amounts and payment arrangements depend on the responsible fostering service’s policy. Ask what support and financial help apply locally.
Key Features of Kinship Foster Care
Kinship foster care combines family connection with the responsibilities of approved fostering. The following features explain how carers can prepare for placement, work with professionals, support the child’s relationships and understand practical arrangements throughout the fostering process.
Familiar Relationships
Caring for a child they already know can help preserve important connections, routines, cultural identity and family history. Carers can use this familiarity to understand the child’s preferences and provide consistent day-to-day care.
Individual Assessment
The assessment considers the proposed carer’s relationship with the child, household circumstances, space, health and ability to provide safe care. This helps establish what support and practical arrangements may be needed for the placement.
Preparation for Fostering
Preparation training helps relatives understand fostering responsibilities, safeguarding, trauma and the impact of family changes. It gives carers a clearer basis for responding to behaviour and supporting the child’s development.
Working with Professionals
Kinship foster carers work with social workers, education professionals and other members of the child’s network. Sharing information appropriately helps adults coordinate care, respond to changing needs and keep the child’s welfare central.
Supporting Family Contact
Contact with parents and wider relatives may remain important, but it needs to be safe, planned and suitable for the child. Carers may help maintain these relationships while following the agreed care plan and professional guidance.
Understanding Legal Duties
Approved kinship foster carers must follow the responsibilities attached to fostering, which may differ from those under a special guardianship order or informal family arrangement. Understanding the legal position helps carers make informed decisions about the child’s care.
Questions About Kinship Foster Care
What happens if a kinship foster placement breaks down?
Eligibility depends on the child’s needs, your relationship, household circumstances and assessment findings. Ask who holds parental responsibility, what legal order applies, and how decisions will be managed day-to-day care.
How does kinship fostering affect contact with a child’s parents?
Contact arrangements are agreed with the child’s parents, social workers and carer, focusing on safety, consistency and relationships. Professionals review frequency, supervision and changes as circumstances develop and needs evolve.
What training is provided for kinship foster carers?
Training may cover safeguarding, safer caring, trauma, attachment, behaviour, recording, and working with professionals. Kinship carers also learn how to support family relationships and apply approved policies during everyday care.
What legal responsibilities does a kinship foster carer have?
Responsibilities include providing daily care, following the placement plan, recording significant events, attending reviews, cooperating with social workers, protecting confidentiality and reporting concerns promptly under fostering regulations and approved procedures.
What is a Regulation 24 kinship foster placement?
A Regulation 24 placement provides temporary approval for a connected person to care for a child before full fostering assessment is completed, subject to essential checks, supervision and review arrangements.
Discuss Your Kinship Foster Care Options
If you are considering becoming a kinship foster carer, contact our team for tailored guidance about your circumstances. We can explain the next steps, answer questions about assessment and help you understand which care arrangement may be appropriate.