Kinship care is emerging as a fast-growing alternative arrangement to state interventions for children in need in the UK. Such placements are
potentially a positive way of supporting children and young people in
need, within a context of family preservation, by providing continuity and
sustaining cultural and individual identities. Yet it seems clear from the
emerging evidence that placing children in kinship care can present challenges
for social services, children and kinship carers.
Some key questions and concerns include the following:
How should an assessment of a family member or friend of the family
differ from that of a "stranger" foster carer and what criteria
should be used?
How should social workers "weigh" the kin factors against other
assessment criteria that are marginal or adverse?
How should kinship care placements be supported by the local
authority?
Where there are child protection concerns, how should these be
addressed with the kinship carer?
What are the conflicts within the family that may be generated by a
child being looked after by another family member, and what impact
would these have on family dynamics?
In this Good Practice Guide, the authors examine the policy context and
messages from research, both from the UK and the USA, and set out the
legal framework for kinship care in England and Wales. They then go on
to describe the different types of kinship care and give detailed guidance
on:
assessment principles and practice issues;
legal options and professional frameworks;
support structures and financial payments;
the provision of whole family support services;
family relationships and contact; and
working with kinship care families in therapeutic settings.
The authors also draw on interviews conducted with different local
authorities, and provide examples of good practice in policies and procedures.
This guide will be invaluable for social workers; team managers from
child care, family placement and kinship care teams; policymakers and
academics, as well as kinship carers.
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