Kinship care

Kinship care is the care provided by relatives, or by a member of a child’s social network, when a child cannot live with their parents. It may be a statutory arrangement, ordered by a court, or a private arrangement agreed between the people involved.

For children from a particular cultural community, kinship care often places special value on family, community and culture as central to the child’s safety, stability and development, and dedicated services may exist to support these families.

Types of kinship care#

• Statutory kinship care occurs when a child-protection authority has become involved and a decision has been made to place a child with relatives or a close family friend. It may also follow an order made by a court.
• Private, informal or non-statutory kinship care describes arrangements where children are cared for by relatives without any child-protection involvement.

Support for kinship carers#

In many places, carer organisations act as a voice for kinship carers. Their role can include:

• linking individual kinship carers with one another and with support, self-help and carer groups, and other relevant networks
• promoting wider community awareness of kinship families, carers and children in kinship care
• advising government, organisations and the community on how to improve the support available to children in kinship care

Financial support#

Depending on where you live, statutory kinship carers who have been assessed and approved may receive a regular, non-taxable care allowance. This payment helps with the costs of the child’s food, clothing and other expenses.

In addition to the care allowance, kinship carers may be eligible for further support funding for extraordinary expenses, available through the relevant child-protection service for both the placement itself and ongoing client support. Other financial help may also be available for certain children and situations – for example, where a family is caring for a child with a disability or a medical condition. Ask your local child and family services about what you may be entitled to.

Practical and learning support#

As part of a kinship care model, dedicated staff may work with children, young people, carers and families. These workers can provide advice and support to kinship carers where there is current child-protection involvement.

Free learning and development opportunities may also be offered to statutory kinship carers, accredited foster carers and permanent carers. Based on the principles of therapeutic care, trauma, healing and connection to culture, this training offers something for those just starting their caring journey as well as for carers with years of experience.

A care support help desk may also be available for new and existing kinship and foster carers where there is child-protection involvement. Such a service can help carers obtain the critical documents they need when starting a placement, and help existing carers keep track of vital documents for children in their care. These services are usually available by phone during business hours.

Where to get help#