Kinship Care  

What is Kinship Care?

Families in 2025 are diverse and can take many forms. Sometimes it is best for children to be cared for by someone other than their parents. This could be family or friends, especially during unexpected crisis. This is called Kinship Care. Kinship Care serves as an umbrella term to describe different arrangements whereby a child does not live in the family home with their parents. There are currently over 141,000 children in Kinship Care in England and Wales, and over 130,000 of those are in England (Kinship.org.uk). 

Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023) states schools have a responsibility in ‘promoting the upbringing of children with their birth parents, or otherwise their family network through a kinship care arrangement, whenever possible and where this is in the best interests of the children.’ Children who remain in the care of family or friends are much more likely to remain in the same community, the same school, and with siblings, which, in turn, is likely to support them through the adversity they are facing. 

More specifically, the DfE released ‘Championing Kinship Care: The National Kinship Care Strategy’ in 2023, which outlines the responsibilities for partner agencies, including Designated Safeguarding Leads and Virtual Schools. 

DSL’s responsibility: 

‘Designated Safeguarding Leads provide help for these children within schools by supportively engaging with parents and carers when families face difficult circumstances or if there are safeguarding concerns and by promoting their education and welfare.’ 

Virtual School responsibility: 

‘Virtual School Heads and designated teachers provide advice and information to schools to promote the educational achievement of children who have left local authority care through a Special Guardianship or Child Arrangements Order 35.  

As part of their strategic role, Virtual School Heads also promote the educational achievement of all children in kinship care assessed as being in need under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 and currently have a social worker, or children who have previously had a social worker.’ 

Circumstances that could see a child placed in Kinship Care can include: 

• Parent in prison 

• Death of a parent 

• Substance misuse 

• Neglectful or abusive parent(s) 

People who often take on the role of Kinship are grandparents, aunties, uncles, stepfamily members or sometimes family friends. In Kinship Care arrangements it is about exploring who has a close relationship with the child and is willing to make the commitment. 

What types of arrangements could be classed as Kinship Care?

Informal Kinship Care – Overall responsibility remains with the parent however the child for a period will stay with a distant relative or friend. 

Kinship Foster Care – When a family member or family friend is assessed and becomes the child’s approved foster carer. At this time children’s social care will hold joint responsibility alongside the parents and the foster caregiver will be entitled to financial support. 

Private Foster Care – Schools will be aware of this arrangement as we have a duty to report any possible private foster care arrangements we become aware of. This is where a child is cared for by someone other than a close family member for 28 days or more. The Local Authority will complete an assessment to ensure the child is safe and the arrangement is suitable. The parent keeps responsibility, however the carer can make day to day decisions. 

Special Guardianship – When a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) is granted by the courts, the Guardian will be responsible for the child until they reach the age of 18. The Guardian will share parental responsibility with the child’s parent. 

Child Arrangements Order (CAO) – This is similar to an SGO however, in this case, the guardian will be able to make day to day decisions on behalf of the child but will have to involve parents before making any significant decisions. 

Testamentary Guardian – Someone who is appointed formally in writing by a parent or special guardian. If there is no one else with parental responsibility the Testamentary Guardian will gain full parental control in the event of a parent’s death. 

So, what can schools do?

• Check who has parental responsibility for the child in your setting and make sure this is documented on your secure systems 

• Provide additional support as and when required for children who may be impacted by being in the care of someone other than a parent 

• Make sure paperwork and forms are inclusive and children are clear on who they need to hand them too 

• Open and honest conversations with parent/carer about care arrangements making sure school staff are clear on who will be dropping off or picking up from school 

• Ensure staff are aware of what Private Fostering means and what to do if this occurs or is suspected 

• As a school you will need to be aware of who can ask for school records, reports, who can agree medical care or give permission for things such as school trips.

There is support available such as The Kinship Care Charity, a leading charity across England and Wales providing support to family members or friends who are becoming or already establish Kinship Carers.