Kinship care
Kinship care is also known as:
- Family and friends care
- Kinship arrangement
- Connected carers
- Special guardians
What kinship care is
When a child cannot live with their parents, living with someone they know well is the next best thing.
A child may live with a relative or other connected person, instead of their parents or step-parents. In this case, the child is considered to be cared for by family and friends.
The definition of kinship care.
Reasons for kinship care
There are a variety of reasons why children may not live with their parents. Examples include:
- Working arrangements
- Ill health
- A parent going to prison
- A change in family circumstances
- Educational opportunities for the child. For example, staying with a host family while attending a language school.
- Concerns about the parents' ability to care appropriately for the child
- A child who was adopted in another country where the adoption is not legally recognised in the UK
There are different types of kinship care. Types of kinship care on the Kinship website.
Becoming a kinship carer
Kinship carers must undergo the same safety checks as foster carers do before a child can live with them.
All kinship carers must have training. This is to make sure they have all the skills they need to look after the children in their care.
Kinship carers have a supervising social worker. The supervising social worker will assess kinship carers every year.
The main difference between foster carers and kinship carers:
- Kinship carers are someone the child or young person already knows
- Kinship carers are not financially supported by the local authority
Kinship care in Norfolk
View our Children's Services kinship offer
Support for kinship carers
Useful online resources to help support kinship carers:
Health and wellbeing
- Children's health and wellbeing
- Adults' health and wellbeing
- Find local doctors, dentists and opticians
Education
Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)
Things to do
Carers and young carers
Carers:
- Support for carers
- Carers Matter Norfolk
- Carers First - Support for parent carers
- Kinship care charity
- Kinship Carers UK
Young carers:
- Young carers and families
- Young Carers Matter Norfolk
- Great Yarmouth and Gorleston Young Carers (GYGYC)
Children and families
- Early Childhood and Family Service (ECFS) - Support for 0-5 year olds
- The Benjamin Foundation - Support for children, young people and families
- BEAT eating disorders
- MAP Norfolk - Support for young people aged11-15
- National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC)
- Mermaids - Support for trans, non-binary and gender-questioning children and young people
- The Proud Trust - LGBT+ youth charity
Legal advice or independent advice about kinship
- Family Rights Group - Help and advice on kinship care
- Child law advice - Information about kinship care
- Citizens Advice - Children, young people and parenting
- Norfolk Community Law Service - Free legal advice service