Kinship care
What is kinship care?
Kinship care means that a relative or family friend looks after a child full-time or most of the time, usually because the child's parents are unable to care for them. There are many types of kinship care.
This means that there is no formal arrangement, but a relative or close friend has agreed to take care of the child.
A Special Guardianship Order (SGO) or a Child Arrangements Order (CAO) is a legal order given by a family court, setting out who is going to be responsible for a child's care.
Private foster care is when a parent arranges for their child or children to be looked after by someone who is not a close relative for 28 days or more, if the child is under 16 (or 18 if the child has a disability).
Kinship foster care, also known as family and friends foster care, is a formal arrangement where a family member or friend is assessed and becomes a child's approved foster carer.
A testamentary guardian is someone who has been appointed as a carer, formally and in writing, by a parent or special guardian.
How to get support as a kinship carer
We offer specialist and consistent support to kinship carers.
To get in touch about kinship foster care you can:
- call us on 01202 817 400
- email us at fostering.duty@bcpcouncil.gov.uk
