How to contact us for advice
We provide advice to parents, grandparents, relatives, friends and kinship carers who are involved with children’s services in England or need their help. We can help you understand processes and options when social workers or courts are making decisions about your child’s welfare.
Our advice service is free, independent and confidential.
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). For Textphone dial 18001 followed by the advice line number. Or you can ask us a question via email using our advice enquiry form.
Our online advice forums are an anonymous space where parents and kinship carers (also known as family and friends carers) can get legal and practical advice, build a support network and learn from other people’s experiences.
Our get help and advice section describes the processes that you and your family are likely to go through, so that you know what to expect. Our webchat service can help you find the information and advice on our website which will help you understand the law and your rights.
The Children and Families Act 2014 places a duty on children’s services to support ‘Staying Put’ arrangements. This enables children to remain in their placement after they turn 18, when the foster carer and young person both agree, and this is in the best interests of the young person. This includes a young person continuing to live with a kinship foster carer.
In this situation, children’s services have a duty to enable and support the Staying Put arrangements until the young person is 21 (or moves out, if that is sooner). This includes providing advice and support to both the young person and the foster carer, including continued support from a personal adviser for the young person.
Support should also include ongoing financial assistance for the foster carer. This should cover all reasonable costs of supporting the care leaver to continue living with them.
The possibility of Staying Put should be considered as part of a young person’s pathway plan once they reach age 16.
The Good Practice Guide produced by The Children’s Partnership.
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