Changes to a family and friends carer's home environment
As a family and friends (kinship) carer, you may have had an assessment and been to court for a court order. This is before we finalised the child's living arrangements with you.
There may be changes to your life and home environment that happen after the child is living with you, such as:
- A new person moving into your home
- A relationship separation or divorce
You should also consider the future and make plans to support the children in your care, such as making a will.
A new person moving into the home
If children's services are involved
If you continue to have children's services involved in your life, you must tell them about any new person moving into your home.
Adults may need to have their criminal records checked.
If children's service are not involved
If children's services are no longer involved in your life, you take responsibility for any new person moving into your home.
You can contact the police to enquire about new partners and new household members. This is under the child sex offender disclosure scheme.
A separation or divorce
A court may grant you and your partner a joint court order in both of your names.
If you and your partner separate or divorce, the court order stays valid. Both of you will keep parental responsibility for the child in your care. You can both continue to make decisions about the child.
Your decisions about the child cannot override one another if they conflict.
If you and your partners decisions about the child do conflict, you may need to return to court to:
- Vary the order. This means changing the terms of an existing court order.
- Rule on a specific matter. This means making a formal decision about a particular issue or matter.
A separation or should prompt you to clarify legal matters such as
After a separation or divorce, you should clarify legal matters about the child in your care, such as:
- Who will be the child's primary carer
- What will arrangements for the child be
- What you want to happen for the child in the event of your death or illness
Making a will
It is important that your wishes are legally recorded.
The legal status of a child in your care may not be straightforward. This may be because there are several people with legal parental responsibility for them.
It is important to have matters legally clarified in a will. This is so that the child in your care can get support they need in the event of your death.
Testamentary guardianship
A testamentary guardian is a person that you appoint in your will to care for a child should you die
Learn more about testamentary guardianship on the Kinship website.
