What it is
Kinship care is when a child is placed under the care of a close family member or a close family friend by the council, the children's hearing system, or the courts because their parents are unable to care for them.
In these circumstances, the child is defined as “looked after” by a council under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.
Our policy is to always arrange for a child to be cared for by their close family members, if possible.
Who a kinship carer is
A person is a kinship carer if:
- they’re a close family member or a close family friend who already has a relationship with the child
- the child is living with them, but the child’s parents do not live in the same household
- they’re not looking after the child as part of a private care arrangement.
Types of kinship care
Informal kinship care
Informal kinship care is where families make their own, independent arrangements for a child to live with close family members or friends. This is also known as a private care arrangement.
In these circumstances the child is not legally “looked after” by the council.
This arrangement would not be considered formal kinship care as our social work service was not involved in the arrangement and did not plan to remove the child from the care of their parents.
Formal kinship care
Formal kinship care is where a child has a legal status as “looked after” and is placed with close family members or close family friends with the council involved.
A children's hearing or court may place children in formal kinship care.
We have duties and responsibilities for children in formal kinship care which are set out in law and government guidance (Scottish Government website). This includes assessing and reviewing potential kinship carers and their homes.
Family support
In circumstances where a birth parent lives with their child in a close family member or close friend’s household, or enters a shared care arrangement with that person, it is not considered a kinship placement.
The parent will still have legal responsibility for the child.
Assessment of kinship carers
When a concern is raised about the care or protection of a child, this is investigated by our social work service.
Before we can arrange for a child to be cared for by a close family member or close family friend, we must assess if this placement meets the child’s needs.
This assessment will usually be completed by a social worker, who’ll:
- carry out police checks on every adult in the household
- check social work database systems and the health records of all potential carers
- visit the home to interview the proposed carer and make sure their home is suitable for the child's needs.
We’ll also complete a financial assessment to find out if we’ll need to provide any financial support to the carer.
If all checks are satisfactory and we decide that it is not safe for a child to return to the care of their parents, we’ll complete a full kinship assessment within a 12-week period. This assessment will focus on strengths, vulnerabilities, and support needs.
Responsibilities of kinship carers
When a child is placed with a kinship carer, that carer has a responsibility to provide a safe and stable home environment which meets the child's needs.
Responsibilities include making sure the child attends school or nursery and receives medical and dental treatment.
We’ll assign the child a social worker who’ll see them regularly to get their views about their care and their future. The social worker may visit children at their home and in private.
The social worker will develop a care plan for the child and is responsible for making sure that the care plan progresses.
The social worker will make sure the carer has a copy of the care plan and that they understand the plan for the child.
If a carer has any questions about this or their role in the child's care plan, the social worker should be able to answer them.
Kinship carers are expected to work with the council. This is usually through the child’s social worker, but sometimes by attending meetings with other professionals, such as health and education, to discuss the child.
These meetings are to share information and let everyone work together on the child's care plan.
As a kinship carer for the council, you’ll be allocated your own social worker to offer you support and any training that may be required. This will be a different social worker from the child.
Financial support for kinship carers
Financial support that we can provide depends on how you become a kinship carer and the child’s legal or care status.
Find out more about financial support for kinship carers.
Contact us
You can contact our social work services by:
More information
Get non-council advice and support for kinship carers from: