Kinship care

What is kinship care?

Kinship care means that a child lives with someone they already know who is not their parent. This could be a grandparent, auntie or uncle or a close family friend. This arrangement happens when the child's parents are unable to look after them safely for various reasons, such as an illness or they maybe going through a difficult time.

People who provide kinship care might be called: 

• connected carers
• kinship foster carers
• special guardians