Becoming a kinship carer can be both rewarding and challenging. Sometimes the role begins suddenly — a phone call, a crisis, a child needing immediate care. In stepping forward, you offer safety, stability, and love while helping a child remain connected to their family, community, and identity.
We know this journey can also feel overwhelming at times.
From school routines to professional meetings, there may be moments when you feel unsure or alone. This space is here to help.
There are different types of kinship care, which are grouped into informal or formal arrangements. This includes:
- Informal arrangements
- Private fostering
- Temporary kinship foster care
- Special Guardianship
Children are best placed within their family and should be supported to remain within their families where possible. Where this is not possible, we should then be considering a family arrangement as a potential care plan for the child.
Who can be a kinship carer?
A kinship carer is someone who looks after a child because their parents are unable to do so.
This is usually a relative, such as a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or older sibling, but it can also be a close family friend or someone with a strong connection to the child such as a teacher, childminder or youth worker.
Benefits of kinship care?
- Kinship arrangements provide children with stability without legally separating them for their birth parents
- It helps their mental wellbeing, including preventing trauma
- It promotes their identity and sense of belonging
- It allows children to continue with familiar routines (such as going to the same school or clubs) and see people they are accustomed to seeing
