Kinship care and support for kinship carers

Informal kinship arrangements

An informal kinship arrangement is a private arrangement made by a family, where a close member of the family (who isn't the child’s parent) cares for the child. The child isn't in care or subject to any legal orders, and their parents retain parental responsibility for the child.

Other informal kinship care arrangements include children under the age of 16 being cared for in the home of someone who isn't a close relative for a period of less than 28 days. If the child's aged 16 or 17, there isn't time limit.

Most informal kinship carer arrangements are provided by a relative of the child. We don't need to be notified of these arrangements and most remain entirely private without the need for children’s social care services to be involved.

Private fostering arrangements

A private fostering arrangement is where someone who isn't a close relative of a child under the age of 16 (or 18 if the child is disabled) cares for the child for a period of more than 28 days. A child's close relatives are their grandparents, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts and step-parents. If a child is being looked after by a close relative, this would be an informal kinship arrangement rather than private fostering.

You must tell us about any private fostering arrangements. Find out more about private fostering.

Care due to a child arrangements order or special guardianship order

A child arrangements order is a legal order that specifies when a child should live with a family member or friend (but not the child’s parents).

A special guardianship order is a legal order granted to a family member, friend or foster carer which confirms the child’s placement with the special guardian carer until they're 18.

Children don't have to be in care before a child arrangements order or special guardianship order is made.

If a relative, friend or other connected person wishes to make a long-term commitment to caring for a child, they can apply for a child arrangements or special guardianship order. Both orders give them parental responsibility for the child.

To support the stable placement of children within their families, relatives can apply for a child arrangements or special guardianship order without the permission of the court after caring for the child for one year.

Kinship foster care

If there's an urgent need to place a looked after child and the most appropriate placement is with a connected person, there may not be time to undertake a full foster care assessment. In this situation, we can temporarily approve a kinship foster carer to allow the immediate placement of the child.

We must be satisfied that the placement is the most appropriate one for the child, and that it's necessary for the child to be placed there before the full approval process is completed. 

The connected person can be approved as a kinship foster carer for a period not exceeding 16 weeks, although an 8 week extension is possible in exceptional circumstances to allow the assessment to be completed.

Adoption where adopter was a friend/family member before adoption order granted

Where a child is already living with a kinship carer, it may be possible for them to apply for an adoption order. This would end the parental responsibility of the child's birth parents.

Find out more about adoption.