By phone or email
To speak to an adviser, please call our free and confidential advice line 0808 801 0366 (Monday to Friday 9.30am to 3pm, excluding Bank Holidays). Or you can ask us a question via email using our advice enquiry form.
Kinship foster carer
A kinship foster carer is a family member or friend who offers a place in their home for a looked after child.
A kinship carer can be approved as a foster carer on a temporary basis once some basic checks have been done. This then allows a child to be placed in their care immediately. This can help avoid the need for a child to be cared for by unrelated foster carers first.
A full assessment of the kinship carer must be carried out within 16 weeks of the child moving to their care. This may be extended for a further eight weeks. But this should be only in exceptional situations though.
Anyone who is approved as a kinship foster carer should receive a fostering allowance for the looked after child in their care. This applies whether the carer has temporary approval or fully approved as a foster carer. Kinship foster carers are entitled to be paid the allowance at the same rate as unrelated foster carers.
See the kinship foster care section on our Kinship carer page for more information.
Our funding means we can currently only help 4 in 10 people
Your donation will help more families access expert legal advice and support from Family Rights Group.
Donate Now