What is a Regulation 24 kinship foster placement?

Regulation 24 is the legal route a local authority can use to approve a connected person to care for a child who needs to live away from their parents, while the authority carries out the full fostering assessment. It is designed to avoid an unnecessary move into unrelated foster care when a suitable relative, family friend or another person already known to the child may be able to provide care.

What does ‘connected person’ mean?

A connected person is someone who has an existing relationship with the child. This may include a grandparent, aunt, uncle, older sibling, family friend, neighbour or another adult who has played a significant role in the child’s life. The relationship must be considered in the context of the individual child; simply knowing the child does not automatically mean that a person will be approved.

The local authority must consider whether the proposed placement is safe and suitable, taking account of the child’s needs, the adult’s relationship with them and the practical circumstances of the household.

Why might Regulation 24 be used?

A child may need an immediate alternative to living with their parents because of safeguarding concerns, a family crisis, illness, imprisonment or another change in circumstances. If a suitable connected person is identified, temporary approval can allow the child to remain within their existing family or social network while more detailed checks and assessment work take place.

This approval is not the same as a permanent legal order. It does not, by itself, give the connected person parental responsibility or decide where the child will live in the long term. The local authority must continue to review the child’s welfare and consider the most appropriate legal and care arrangement.

What happens before approval?

The local authority or fostering service will gather information to decide whether the proposed carer can meet the child’s immediate needs. The process may include:

• discussions with the proposed carer and other household members;
• an assessment of the home and sleeping arrangements;
• identity, safeguarding and criminal-record checks;
• health information and a medical assessment where required;
• references and information about previous involvement with children;
• consideration of the carer’s finances, support network and ability to manage the placement;
• information about the child’s wishes, needs, background and relationships; and
• an assessment of any risks connected with contact, family conflict or other people visiting the home.

In an urgent situation, not every part of the full fostering assessment will have been completed before the child moves in. The authority should still obtain the information needed to make a safe decision and put suitable safeguards in place. Temporary approval can be refused if the available information indicates that the arrangement would not protect the child’s welfare.

What does the full assessment involve?

After the placement begins, the connected person normally continues through the fostering assessment process. This is more detailed than the initial decision to approve the placement. It considers the applicant’s parenting and caring experience, relationships, lifestyle, understanding of safeguarding, ability to work with professionals and capacity to support the child’s identity, education, health and emotional development.

Training and preparation may be provided during this period. The carer will also need to work openly with the child’s social worker, supervising social worker and other professionals. The assessment should take account of the child’s changing needs and whether the household can provide stable care over the required timescale.

The fostering service will prepare a report and make a recommendation about full approval. The decision may be to approve the person as a foster carer, not to approve them, or to consider another arrangement if fostering is no longer the most suitable option. Temporary approval does not guarantee full approval.

How long does Regulation 24 approval last?

Regulation 24 approval is intended to be time-limited. The local authority must progress the full assessment and monitor the placement rather than treating temporary approval as an open-ended arrangement. If the assessment cannot be completed within the permitted period, the authority must consider whether an extension is legally available and appropriate. The connected person should be told what stage the assessment has reached and what decisions are still outstanding.

Approval can also end sooner if the placement is no longer suitable, the child moves elsewhere, the carer withdraws or new information raises safeguarding concerns. Ending approval should be managed through the relevant local authority procedures, with planning for the child’s care and support.

What support should a Regulation 24 carer receive?

A temporarily approved carer should receive information about who to contact, the child’s care plan, day-to-day expectations and the support available. This may include supervision, social-work visits, practical guidance, training, help with education and health appointments, and support with managing family contact.

The carer should understand what decisions they can make themselves and which decisions require the social worker’s or parent’s involvement. These arrangements are usually explained through delegated authority and the child’s placement plan. Questions about school, medical treatment, travel, activities and contact should be raised with the child’s social worker rather than assumed.

Financial arrangements should also be explained at the start. A connected person approved as a foster carer may receive a fostering allowance, but the amount and payment arrangements depend on the responsible local authority or fostering service and the circumstances of the placement. It is sensible to ask for the allowance policy, any additional support available and how expenses will be handled.

What should the carer do if difficulties arise?

Concerns should be raised promptly with the child’s social worker or the supervising professional. Examples include behaviour that cannot be safely managed, conflict with family members, difficulties with contact, concerns about allegations, or pressure affecting the carer’s ability to continue.

A placement ending does not necessarily mean that the carer has failed. The local authority should examine what has happened, whether additional support could help and what arrangement best protects the child. The carer should keep records of significant incidents and follow safeguarding instructions, particularly where an allegation or immediate risk is involved.

Regulation 24 therefore provides a structured safeguarding route for a child to be cared for by someone they already know, while the local authority establishes whether that arrangement can continue. Anyone considering this role should ask the child’s social worker or fostering service to explain the assessment timetable, approval conditions, support plan and financial arrangements before agreeing to proceed.