What is kinship care?

Kinship care is when a child is raised by a relative or close family friend because their parents are unable to care for them. This could include grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, or someone the child already knows and trusts, such as a family friend.

Kinship care can happen in different ways:

• Informal arrangements, agreed within the family without social services involvement

• Formal arrangements, such as a child arrangements order, special guardianship order, or fostering with local authority approval

Children in kinship care usually stay connected to their family, culture, and community, which can provide stability and continuity at a difficult time. Kinship carers may or may not have parental responsibility, depending on the legal arrangement.

Kinship care often begins during a crisis, but in some communities it is a long-established and normal way of caring for children. It plays a vital role in the UK care system, supporting children to grow up in familiar and loving environments when they cannot live with their parents.

 

Are you a kinship carer?

People become kinship carers in different ways and for different reasons. In some families and communities, children are often cared for within their wider family. For others, kinship care begins suddenly as a result of a crisis or unexpected change.

Kinship care can happen for many reasons, including illness, bereavement, or family crisis. It’s often unplanned, happens quickly, and families don’t always realise there is a name for their situation, or that support and advice is available.

It’s common to experience mixed and complex emotions, such as feeling responsible, anxious, angry, or that you have no real choice but to step in. However, if you find yourself in this situation, your feelings matter.

These feelings are completely normal. Understanding why you are taking on this role can help you make informed decisions. Caring full-time for a child is a major commitment and can be life-changing and many people benefit from time to talk through the implications.

Support for children and their kinship carers

Support for children in kinship care is available and we are working hard to raise the profile of kinship care and the support available to children and families.