A message from the Corporate Parenting Head of Service

“We are committed to creating a community where every kinship carer feels valued, supported, and empowered to provide a stable, loving home for children. Our vision is to ensure that kinship families have access to resources, training, and emotional support, nurturing resilience and connection. We aim to celebrate kinship care as a vital part of family life, promoting permanence for children, and strengthening relationships through collaboration, compassion, and practical help.

We place carers’ voices at the heart of everything we do, co-producing services that reflect real experiences and needs. Through accessible, high-quality support, strong networks, and continuous learning, we strive to ensure that every child thrives in a safe, loving home and every kinship carer feels confident, respected, and never alone”

Kinship care (sometimes known as friends and family care) is any situation in which a child is being raised in the care of a friend or family member, who is not their parent. The arrangement may be temporary or long term. There are different types of kinship care, for information see Annex A- Caring for Somebody Else's child - options.

There may be some kinship care arrangements that the local authority are involved in, and some that are made privately without the involvement of the local authority. If you are unsure, please contact the Kinship Team on the details at the bottom of the page.

If your arrangement is Private Fostering, please see Fostering if you aren't a close relative for more information.