Member

When a family group decision-making process determines that kinship care is the best option for keeping a child safe, prospective kinship carers are often encouraged to care for the child through informal arrangements or private legal orders. These options, including private agreements with parents or special guardianship orders, avoid placing the child in local authority care. However, many prospective kinship carers lack crucial information about how different arrangements will affect their long-term support eligibility. Those with informal arrangements or private legal orders may receive minimal support, regardless of any informal promises made by children’s services during the family group decision-making process.