Types of family and friends care

Family and friends care is when a friend or family member who is not the parent cares for a child.

There are different types of family and friends care.

The child's parents have asked you to look after the child

Types of family and friends care when the child's parents ask you to look after the child:

Private family arrangement

A private family arrangement is when:

The child's parents have asked you, as a family member, to look after their child. You may be a grandparent, aunt, uncle or sibling. This includes through birth or marriage.
Children's services are not involved. Unless there are concerns about the child's safety.
The child's parents keep full parental responsibility for the child:
- They make decisions about the child's health and education. Parents can tell children's services that they give you permission to make decisions on their behalf. This is not a legal arrangement.
- They make sure the child has everything they need. This can involve the parents paying you for the living costs of the child living with you. For example, the cost of school uniform or equipment for hobbies.

You will not immediately be entitled to benefits relating to the care of that child.

There must be a clear agreement with the child's parents about who is financially responsible and how the arrangement will work. (For example, will Mum or Dad give the child benefit to you each month?)

Private fostering

A private fostering arrangement is when:

The child's parents have asked you to look after their child for more than 28 days. You are not a close relative of the child, through birth or marriage.
Children's services are involved. Children's services have a legal duty to assess the arrangement.
- By law, you must tell children's services six weeks before the child comes to live with you. If it is less than six weeks, you should notify children's services as soon as possible. Contact us about a private fostering arrangement.
- Professionals should tell children's services of private fostering arrangements as soon as they become aware of them. This includes GPs and schools.
The child's parents keep full parental responsibility for the child. They must make sure the child has everything they need.
You, as the private foster carer, do not gain any parental responsibility but can act in loco parentis. This means that you can take immediate steps to keep a child safe and well.

Children's service considers this arrangement to be a private fostering arrangement until either:

The child becomes 16
The child is disabled and becomes 18
The living arrangements change to a different type of arrangement

Examples of private fostering

A child living with a friend's family
A child from overseas staying with a host family while attending a language school
A child living with someone from their extended family such as a great aunt or a cousin
A child staying with another family because their parents work long or unsociable hours

What is not private fostering?

When the Norfolk County Council Fostering service make the arrangement
When a child is living with a close relative. Such as, their grandparents, aunt, uncle, brother, sister or stepparents.
When the person looking after the child is an approved foster carer
When the child will only be away for a one-off period of less than 28 days

What happens after you have told us about the arrangement?

We have a legal duty to work with the parents and private foster carer to assess the arrangement. This involves:

Visiting the child and private foster carer regularly
An assessment of the child's needs and what needs doing to meet them
Offering advice and guidance to the child, their parents and the private foster carer
Supporting the carer in claiming any eligible benefits, such as child benefit

Financial support

There is no financial support available from Norfolk County Council for private foster carers.

Private foster carers and the child's parents can make financial arrangements. The private foster carer can also claim child benefit and child tax credits for the child.

Children's services have asked you to look after the child

Types of family and friends care when children's services ask you to look after the child:

Temporary approval

Temporary approval is when:

Children's services ask you to look after a child at short notice or in an emergency
Children's services grant you temporary approval as a foster carer. Temporary approval can last up to 16 weeks. In extenuating circumstances, it can extend for a further eight weeks. This is:
- Because, by law, the child is a looked after child and you need to be approved as a foster carer
- Whilst they make long term plans for the child's care and undertake any further assessments

As a temporarily approved foster carer, you have delegated authority for the child in your care. Learn more about delegated authority under Kinship foster care on this page.

The fostering service will assign you a Supervising Social Worker. The Supervising Social Worker will make regular visits. They will support you in accessing training and development opportunities to help you in this role.

Child arrangements order

A child arrangements order settles specific matters for the child. This includes where they will live.

In this case children's services can ask you to look after a child. You may be a friend or family member (not the child's parent).

The child is not a looked after child. Neither you nor the child will have a social worker.

The child arrangements order will clarify if anyone gains parental responsibility (you or the child's parents).

Special guardianship

Special guardianship is when:

Children's services ask you to look after a child and act as their guardian until the child is 18 years old. You may be a friend or family member (not the child's parent).
The child's parents keep their parental responsibility, but you also gain parental responsibility. You must continue to seek the parents' and child's views to inform your decision making.
- Where the parents' and your opinion conflicts, your parental responsibility will overrule theirs
- You cannot decide to change the child's name, live abroad for more than three months, consent to the child being adopted
The child is not a looked after child. Neither you nor the child will have a social worker.
You, as a special guardian, can claim child benefits

Kinship foster care

Kinship foster care is also known as connected foster care. This is when:

Children's services or a judge ask you to look after (or continue looking after) a child you already have a relationship with. You may be a friend or family member (not the child's parent).
The child is a looked after child. This means you must get full approval as a foster carer.
- You will have a full assessment. The fostering service will assess and approve you for the specific child in your care only. They will assess you to the same level as any foster carer but will take your existing relationship with the child into account.
- You will attend a panel who make a recommendation about whether you should be approved
Parents may have consented to kinship foster care (often referred to as 'section 20 consent'). Or a judge may have granted a care order.
Looked after child (LAC) reviews will continue until the child turns 18
You and the child will each have a social worker
You have delegated authority for the child in your care

What is delegated authority?

Delegated authority gives you the ability to make day to day decisions about the child. This is without the need to check every decision with children's services.

Day to day decisions include the child:

Attending a school trip
Going to a friend's house for dinner
Having sleepovers
Trying new hobbies
Having a haircut
Going for a routine medical appointment

Day to day decisions do not include:

Planned, major medical operations
Changing the child's name
Changing the child's religion
Going abroad for more than three weeks

Every looked after child has a care plan. This specifies which things you can make decisions about and which things you cannot. You should receive the child's care plan before the child comes into your care, or as soon as possible.

All decisions made about the child should be:

In their best interests
Considering the views of the child
In conjunction with the birth parents where possible

Adoption

Children's services may think that it is in the child's best interests for you to adopt them.

This means you would gain full legal status as the child's parent. This includes having full parental responsibility. The birth parents would lose their parental responsibility.

You and the child may be eligible for post-adoption support from children's services. Learn more about adoption and what support is available.