This guide has been co-produced with kinship carers to provide clear, accessible information about the support available to those caring for children within their extended family or close network.
Whether you’re a grandparent, sibling, aunt, uncle or a family friend, this offer outlines the help you can access – legal, financial, emotional, and practical – based on your unique circumstances.
Our commitment:
- Ensuring children and carers receive the right support at the right time.
- Promoting informed decision-making through accessible legal guidance.
- Engaging carers in shaping and reviewing support services.
- Providing consistent, fair support across all professional touchpoints.
The Kinship Local Offer will be reviewed on an annual basis to ensure it remains up to date with relevant information for all kinship carers.
Contents
- Introduction
- Types of kinship care arrangements
- Professional practice
- Support
- Supporting young people aged 18+ – Staying Put
- Support from other organisations
- Support groups
- Training
- Financial support
- Supporting kinship carers to stay in work
- Housing support and advice
- Education support and advice
- Supporting children with complex health and disabilities
- Family time
- Family network meetings
- Early help support
- Legal support
- Emotional, mental health and therapeutic support
- Out-of-hours support / emergency support
- Diversity and inclusion
- Complaints procedure
- Useful information and organisations
Introduction
What is kinship care?
When children are cared for by members of their extended family, friends or other people who are connected to them we call this kinship care.
Kinship care arrangements are when children are separated from their parents, or parents are unable to provide the care and support a child needs. Kinship care arrangements may happen for a variety of reasons and may be permanent or temporary. Sometimes the arrangement is made by Bradford Children and Families Trust or arranged privately within the family where there may be a death of a parent or if Bradford Children and Families Trust do not consider parents able to care for their children due to worries about their lifestyle.
Many people become kinship carers, and they include, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, stepparents (who have separated from the birth parent) step grandparents, great grandparents, friends of the family or other people connected to the child.
Consideration of a child’s welfare and best interests will always be at the centre of the work we do. It is an underlying principle that children should be enabled to live within their families, unless this is not consistent with their welfare. We will therefore work to maintain children within their own families and facilitate services to support any such arrangements, wherever this is consistent with the child’s safety and well- being.
This principle applies to all children in need, including those children in the care of Bradford Children and Families Trust. Where a child cannot live within their immediate family and Bradford Children and Families Trust is considering the need to care for the child, we will make strenuous efforts to identify potential carers within the child’s network of family and friends who are able and willing to offer care.
We will provide support for any such arrangements based on the assessed needs of the child and will seek to ensure that kinship carers are provided with support to ensure that children do not need to be looked after by Bradford Children and Families Trust or do not have to remain in a stranger care arrangement longer than necessary.
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Legal framework
Bradford Children and Families Trust has a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children in need living within its area and to promote the upbringing of such children by their families. The way in which we fulfil this is by providing a range of services appropriate to those children’s assessed needs. This can include for example, financial, practical or emotional support.
It is important to note that Bradford Children and Families Trust does not have a general duty to assess all arrangements where children are living within their wider family or friends’ network rather than their parents, but it does have a duty where it appears that services may be necessary to safeguard or promote the welfare of a child in need.
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Values, principles and objectives
Consideration of children’s welfare and best interests will always be at the centre of the work we do.
It is an underlying principle that children should live within their families unless this is not consistent with their welfare. We will therefore work to maintain children within their own families, and facilitate services to support any such arrangements, wherever this is consistent with the child’s safety and well-being. This principle applies to all children in need, including those who are looked after by Bradford Children and Families Trust.
Where a child cannot live within their immediate family and Bradford Children and Families Trust is considering the need to look after the child, we will make strenuous efforts to identify potential carers within the child’s network of family or friends who are able and willing to care for the child.
We will provide support for any such arrangements based on the assessed needs of the child, not simply on their legal status, and will seek to ensure that kinship carers are provided with support to ensure that children do not become looked after by Bradford Children and Families Trust, or do not have to remain looked after longer than is needed.
We will provide support and training in ways that are appropriate and encouraging for kinship carers.
Bradford Children and Families Trust recognise that in order to enable kinship carers to offer appropriate care for children and young people who cannot live with their parents, access to a range of high-quality support services at universal, targeted and specialist levels may be needed.
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Types of kinship care arrangements
Private / informal family arrangements
The parent makes the arrangement or a close family member steps in to help support the care of a child. The length of the arrangement is decided by the person with parental responsibility (PR) or someone who has taken out a legal order for the child.
Bradford Children and Families Trust does not have a duty to assess informal family arrangements, unless it appears necessary to Bradford Children and Families Trust that services may be necessary to safeguard or promote the welfare of a child in need. In such cases, Bradford Children and Families Trust has a responsibility under section 17 of the Children Act 1989 to assess a child’s needs and provide services, including financial to meet any assessed needs of the child.
Parental responsibility remains with the birth parents, but the carer may do what is reasonable to safeguard or promote the child’s welfare.
Private fostering
A privately fostered child is under 16 (or 18 if they are disabled) who is cared for by someone who is not a parent or close relative. Close relative is defined as a grandparent, brother, sister, uncle or aunt (where of full blood, half blood or by marriage or civil partnership). If the arrangement is intended to last for 28 days or more as decided by the person with PR, the arrangement needs to be approved by Bradford Children and Families Trust. The parent will still hold parental responsibility for the child and agree the decision-making arrangements with the private foster carer.
Bradford Children and Families Trust has a duty to assess and monitor the welfare of all privately fostered children and the way in which they carry out these duties is set out in schedule 8 of the Children Act 1989, with a new paragraph inserted by section 44 of the Children Act 2004 and Private Arrangements for Fostering Regulations 2005.
The parent and or the person caring for the child can ring Bradford Children and Families Trust Integrated Front Door on 0800 953 0966 for help and advice on private fostering arrangements. If a professional or member of the community feels a child may be privately fostered, then they must also report this to Bradford Children and Families Trust.
The parent is financially responsible for the care given to their child by the private fostering carer.
Private fostering is not the same as fostering for a private or independent fostering agency, which involves being paid to look after a child or young person who is not related or connected to you.
Financial support by Bradford Children and Families Trust to sustain an otherwise satisfactory placement may be considered and, where appropriate, the social worker should seek the approval of the relevant manager for such assistance to be given.
Once the approval in principle has been given, the social worker should arrange for the private foster carers to complete a financial assessment.
Once the completed financial assessment form has been received, it should be sent to the relevant manager for the calculation to be completed and the level determined in accordance with the scales agreed from time to time.
The relevant manager will confirm the amount of the financial support in writing to the carers once the financial assessment is complete.
The payments should be part of a Child in Need Plan.
For more information about private fostering, go to the Bradford Children and Families Trust page about private fostering.
Kinship foster care (also known as connected care)
A kinship foster carer is someone who is either being assessed via Regulation 24 of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations 2010, or has been assessed by Bradford Children and Families Trust’s Fostering Service, Foster for Bradford, to be a registered foster carer for the child (The Children Act 1989, Guidance and Regulations Volume 4: Fostering Services). The child in this case would be a child in the care of Bradford Children and Families Trust.
The assessment and approval process for kinship carers who apply to be foster carers for a specific child in the care of Bradford Children and Families Trust will be fully explained during the initial assessment. A guide to kinship care is also available containing information about the expectations of being kinship carers. This guide should be given to the prospective kinship carer in the placement planning meeting.
Once approved as foster carers, the carers will be allocated a supervising social worker from Foster for Bradford to provide them with support and supervision, the child/children will also have their own social worker. The carer should be provided the contact details for both their and the children’s social worker along with their service duty contact details.
Kinship foster carers will receive fostering fees and allowances as all registered Bradford foster carers for as long as they are caring for a child in the care of Bradford Children and Families Trust.
While the child remains a child in the care of Bradford Children and Families Trust, the approved kinship carer will be expected to co-operate with all the processes that are in place to ensure that the child receives appropriate care and support, for example: completing training, working with the child’s social worker and contributing to the child’s care plan.
Authority for day-to-day decision making about the child should be delegated to the carer, unless there is a valid reason not to do so. During the placement planning meeting delegated responsibilities and what is delegated to who, will be discussed in more detail.
Child Arrangements Order
A Child Arrangement Order (CAO) is a Court Order which sets out the arrangements as to when and with whom a child is to live and spend time with. A Child Arrangement Order may give parental responsibility to the person in whose favour it is made, parental responsibility is shared with the parents.
Authority for the day-to-day decision making about the child should be delegated to the carers, unless there is a valid reason not to do so.
Child Arrangement Orders may be made in private family court proceedings in which Bradford Children and Families Trust is not a party nor involved in any way in the arrangements. However, a Child Arrangement Order in favour of a relative or previous kinship foster carer with whom the child was living with, may be an appropriate outcome as part of a plan of permanence for a child in the care of Bradford Children and Families Trust.
Should a carer with a Child Arrangement Order feel they require further support and advice, then they should email the Kinship Post Order Support Team on kinship.post.order.support.team@bradford.gov.uk to request an assessment of support needs.
Should the child have been a child in the care of Bradford Children and Families Trust immediately before the making of the order, then the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) may be accessed for therapeutic support for the child.
This will be discussed during the assessment of support needs completed with the carer by a social worker and/or worker from the Kinship Post Order Support Team.
Special Guardianship Order
Special Guardianship offers a further option for children needing permanent care outside their birth family. It can offer greater security without absolute severance from the birth family as in adoption.
Relatives may apply for a Special Guardianship Order after caring for a child for one year, however, if a Special Guardianship Order is part of Bradford Children and Families Trust’s plan of permanence for a child, then the length of time caring for a child can be shorter, depending on the circumstances.
Special Guardians will have parental responsibility for the child which, while it is still shared with parents, can be exercised with a greater autonomy on day-to-day matters than where there is a Child Arrangements Order.
Where the child was a child in the care of Bradford Children and Families Trust
immediately prior to the making of the Special Guardianship Order, Bradford Children and Families Trust has a responsibility to assess the support needs of the child, parents and special guardians, including the need for financial support.
Once the Special Guardianship assessment is complete recommending a Special Guardianship Order for the child, a support plan will be devised by the child’s social worker, outlining what support is available once the SGO is granted. A Special Guardian can contact the Kinship Post Order Support Team on kinship.post.order.support.team@bradford.gov.uk and ask for an assessment of support needs at any point up until the child is 18 years of age.
Upon the completion of a positive assessment for a Special Guardianship Assessment, Bradford Children and Families Trust will provide carers with a letter outlining how they can access one-off legal advice with a solicitor of their own choosing. A list of childcare law solicitors can be provided but Bradford Children and Families Trust cannot indicate a preference.
Support after the Order has been made may include 1-1 support from a worker in the Kinship Post Order Support Team on areas such as family time, life story work, housing and understanding of children needs where they have suffered trauma, support to attend groups and enrichment activities with a child, alongside attendance at training. The Kinship Post Order Support Team is a voluntary support service and as such will only work with kinship carers who wish to access the support.
The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) may be accessed for therapeutic support for the child. This will be something which is discussed via the assessment of support needs that will be completed with the carer by a social worker and/or worker from the Kinship Post Order Support Team.
Special Guardians in Bradford can access the full training package on offer to Foster for Bradford’s foster carers. Please refer to the full training programme that provides course contents and learning outcomes.
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Professional practice
Agencies working with kinship carers should acknowledge not only the joy and fulfilment experiences, but also the personal cost and sacrifice that many kinship families make in order to care for children, often having to change their lifestyle and plans for the future and take this into account when working with them.
Practitioners should encourage Kinship carers to access all the universal services available to them, both locally and nationally, including any universally available benefits and allowances, and to seek advice when the child’s needs exceed these.
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Support
Most kinship care arrangements work well and meet the needs of the child with the support of universal agencies such as health, education and housing services. Where kinship carers do require some additional support or advice then they can contact the Kinship Post Order Support Team on kinship.post.order.support.team@bradford.gov.uk up until a young person is aged 18.
Approved kinship carers should contact their supervising social worker if there is a need for support.
Supporting young people over the age of 18 – Staying Put
A Staying Put arrangement is when a young person who has been living in foster care/ kinship foster care remains in the former foster home after the age of 18.
It is the duty of Bradford Children and Families Trust:
- to monitor the Staying Put arrangement; and
- to provide advice, assistance and support to the child / young person and the foster carer with a view to maintaining the Staying Put arrangement (this must include financial support), until the child reaches the age of 21 (unless the local authority consider that the Staying Put arrangement is not consistent with the child’s welfare).
More information about Staying Put can be found here.
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Support from other organisations
Carers can also access support from Kinship, the charity for kinship carers; Family Rights Group; and by seeking their own independent legal advice from a solicitor.
Some solicitors offer one-off free advice, and should a positive Special Guardianship assessment be completed, then Bradford Children and Families Trust will fund a one-off payment for legal advice to carers to support them in considering what is the right legal order for them and their family and any areas of support that they feel they would need from Bradford Children and Families Trust. An assessing social worker will guide carers through this process at the appropriate time.
Kinship is the leading kinship care charity in England and Wales. They work with all kinship carers who are caring for children when their parents can’t. Kinship aims to provide support, advise and training to all kinship carers irrespective of under which Kinship Care arrangement they are in.
Family Rights Group is a charity that advises parents, grandparents, relatives and friends about their rights and options when social workers or courts make decisions about their child’s welfare.
The support available locally to kinship carers is set out below into different sections.
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Support groups
Support groups can be a good way of making connections with other carers with similar experiences for support and advice. We know that kinship carers can often become isolated from their existing support networks due to the additional pressures of caring for children.
Kinship (the charity) run several support groups for kinship carers around the Bradford district. These are run by staff from Kinship but some are peer-led by other kinship carers who have lived experience of being kinship carers and are understanding of the challenges that carers can experience.
Any kinship carer can attend the support groups regardless of legal order.
Children are welcome at some of these support groups. For further details, visit the Kinship website’s directory of support groups in and around Bradford here: Kinship support groups.
If you consent, Kinship will send you an email newsletter every quarter. This email includes up-to-date information, resources and links to services which are relevant to kinship carers.
Kinship carers can also access the Foster for Bradford carer support groups which are held across the Bradford district at various times. These can include guest speakers and an opportunity to network with other carers and get advice and support.
Foster for Bradford also holds a quarterly meeting which kinship carers can attend to find out about changes being made to the service and to have an opportunity to contribute to feedback. There will also be opportunities for learning at these and further opportunity for networking with other carers.
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Training
All approved kinship foster carers are required to undertake mandatory training and completion of the Training, Support & Development Standards workbook also known as TSDS.
Training can boost the confidence of kinship carers and equip them with skills and knowledge to provide high-quality care to the children in their care.
Foster for Bradford’s training officer will deliver training to foster carers and kinship carers.
Approved kinship foster carers also have access to the online Vocational Training Hub, which provides a range of online training on a wide variety of relevant topics.
Training for other kinship carers can also be accessed from a number of other sources and does not need to be formal face to face training. There are a range of sources online, including webinars and reading material. Advice around what training should be completed can be discussed with their supervising social worker or post-SGO support worker.
Kinship also offers a range of webinar and training opportunities.
Working Together to Safeguard Children – the Bradford partnership provides a range of multi-agency training courses both face to face and via e-learning to meet the needs of professionals, foster carers, kinship carers and volunteers working with children and young people in the Bradford District. Any kinship carers can view and book training on the website. For any issues with registering or booking on a Safer Bradford course, email
safeguardingtraining@bradford.gov.uk
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Financial support
Kinship carers approved at fostering panel who take on a child in the care of Bradford Children and Families Trust will receive financial support to make sure they have all the necessary furniture/equipment for them to care for the children.
These carers will also receive a weekly fostering fee and allowance in line with their skill level and age of child; this is paid fortnightly. Any queries relating to the fostering allowances should be directed to their allocated fostering social worker.
Special Guardians, who were previously kinship foster carers and caring for a child in the care of Bradford Children and Families Trust prior to the making of the SGO Order, will receive the equivalent payment of their fostering fee and allowance for the child (dependant on age range), but will not receive any additional payments for festivals/holidays or birthdays.
In all other kinship arrangements, financial assistance may be available from Bradford Children and Families Trust upon request under section 17 of the 1989 Act, where a child is deemed to be a child in need in line with the legal framework. In this instance, a financial assessment will be undertaken, and this would need agreement from the relevant Head of Service.
For more information about the financial support Bradford Children and Families Trust offers to special guardians, view Section 9 of Special Guardianship Order Policy.
Other financial support sources
Universal Credit is a means-tested benefit for people of working age who are on a low income. You can be working, looking for work, sick or disabled, or caring for a child or disabled person. Find more information about Universal Credit here.
As a kinship carer, you can likely claim Child Benefit and Child Tax Credits for each child in your care (under 16 years of age or a young person under 20 years of age who is in approved education or training) for whom you are responsible. Only 1 person can get child benefit and there is no limit to how many children you can claim for. Child benefit cannot be claimed by Kinship foster carers where the child is on a care order. Find more information about Child Benefits and Child Tax Credits here.
If you are over State Pension age, you may be able to get Pension Credit. This is a payment that is separate to your State Pension. It gives you extra money to help pay for day-to-day living costs, including looking after a child if you are a kinship carer.
Kinship carers may also be entitled to additional financial support if caring for a child/children with a disability. Find out more about Pension Credit here.
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children may help with the extra costs of looking after a child who:
- is under 16
- has difficulties walking or needs much more looking after than a child of the same age who does not have a disability
They will need to meet all the Government’s eligibility requirements.
Kinship carers may also be able to claim additional financial support from via the Carer’s Allowance if caring for children with disabilities. For more information about the Carer’s Allowance, visit Gov.uk.
There may be other financial support options available to you that are not listed here. Please visit the Gov.uk page Looking after someone else’s child or the Kinship website for the most up-to-date information about financial support available to kinship carers.
Help with energy bills
There are several national schemes that provide financial support or discounts for paying for energy, for example: the Winter Fuel Payment, Warm Home Discount Scheme, fuel vouchers if you use a prepayment meter.
Further advice and support can be found via the links below:
For more information about Government benefits and support that you may be eligible for, visit Kinship’s website.
For more information about grants and benefits to help you pay your energy bills, visit Citizens Advice website.
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Supporting kinship carers to stay in work
Whilst in some circumstances carers may be able to take time off work due to caring responsibilities, family members sometimes take on the care of children in an emergency and may have to take unpaid time off work or a career break in order to settle the children into their new environment and to make adjustments to their own lifestyles.
It will not always be possible or in the child’s or carer’s best long term interests for the carer to reduce their hours and therefore income, or give up work altogether, particularly if this would lead to future financial hardship which would impact on the care provided for the child.
Immediate short term financial support may be especially necessary to enable this period of transition. Where carers are employed, the employer will be able to provide information about any relevant parental leave entitlements.
For more information about your rights to time off for family and dependents, visit the Gov.uk website.
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Housing support and advice
Overcrowding can be an issue for kinship families:
33% of kinship carers have had to convert a living area into a bedroom and 5% of children under kinship care share a bedroom with their carer.
Social housing residents that become kinship carers should notify their housing provider of their changed circumstances and request to be transferred to more suitable housing, although these lists can be long, even for those in high priority groups.
Housing can be a source of stress for kinship carers with bedroom sharing arrangements and inadequate space. This can impact on both carers’ and children’s emotional wellbeing.
During the planning stages of kinship and SGO arrangements, housing needs should be assessed and discussed to reduce any current and future impact on carers and the children they are caring for, along with any birth children still living at home.
Where appropriate Bradford Children and Families Trust may provide financial assistance with housing under section 17 of the 1989 Children Act.
Advice and support can also be obtained from the Kinship Post Order Support Team via email on kinship.post.order.support.team@bradford.gov.uk
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Education support and advice
Kinship children can face difficulties in education and challenges that require targeted support. In many cases, the impact of trauma and neglect can impact on children’s education attainment, with many children having special educational needs (SEN) such as autism, ADHD, physical disabilities.
No child should be disadvantaged by their lived experiences and all children should have the opportunity to achieve in their education and to have better outcomes as adults.
All schools and academies must appoint a designated teacher and SENCO who is in a leadership role, to promote the educational achievement of every current and previously looked-after child on the school’s roll and for children who have an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) or is on the Special Educational Needs register. This includes making sure that all staff have high expectations of the children’s learning and understand the importance of involving the child’s parents or guardians in decisions affecting their child’s
education.
Bradford’s Virtual School
To support the educational attainment of children who left Bradford Children and Families Trust’s care through Special Guardianship or Child Arrangements Order:
The Virtual School head has a statutory duty to promote the educational attainment of pupils who are no longer looked after because they are the subject of adoption, special guardianship, or child arrangements order through the provision of information and advice to their parents, educators, and others they consider necessary.
Previously looked-after children attract Pupil Premium Plus funding, which is provided to help improve their education outcomes and close the attainment gap between them and their peers. It is paid to and managed by the school, with allocations based on the number of previously looked-after children recorded in the school’s October school census return to the Department for Education.
Previously looked-after children have top priority in school admissions and should be placed in good or outstanding schools.
Previously looked-after children and those in formal kinship care arrangements are also eligible to be secured a school place through Fair Access Protocols. This is the mechanism which ensures that unplaced and vulnerable children who are having difficulty securing school places in-year are allocated one promptly.
The Virtual School Head role has been extended on a non-statutory basis to specifically include championing the attendance, attainment, and progress of all children in kinship care. This means that all children in kinship arrangements, regardless of legal status, will benefit from the adaptation of the strategic role. Kinship families with a Special Guardianship Order or Child Arrangement Order, regardless of whether the children were previously in local authority care, will also benefit from advice and information, upon
request, from the Virtual School to help them navigate the education system.
Support for kinships carers around education support can be accessed from the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council’s Virtual School for Children Looked After:
Virtual School Head: Jonathan Cooper
Email: jonathan.cooper@bradford.gov.uk
Telephone: 01274 436401
Other educational support
The Families SEND Support Team offers Portage, and a range of bespoke programmes and workshops designed to guide, support, and empower families who have children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
The team aims to listen, understand, and help you develop your skills and knowledge to feel more confident in raising a child or young person with special need and/or disability.
The focus will be on children’s/young people’s strengths, looking at what they can do and enjoy and looking at ways to help you support your child/young person in achieving next steps in their development.
Families with children/young people aged 0 – 25 with Special Educational needs and Disabilities living in the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council area can access this service.
Children/young people do not require a diagnosis to access most of the programmes. Autism-specific training is also offered.
Portage is an education service for pre-school children with additional support needs and their families. To be eligible, children must have:
A severe developmental delay in two areas of learning from the Early Years Foundation Stage.
Areas of learning: communication; personal; social and emotional development; cognition (thinking); physical development.
Portage sessions can take place at home or in a group. The service works with other agencies involved and support transition to nursey or school.
For more information about the Portage offer and to request support from the Families SEND support team, visit their page on the Bradford Local Offer website.
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Supporting children with complex health and disabilities
The Children’s Complex Health or Disabilities Team (CCHDT) provides specialist social care support to disabled children and young people (0-18) with needs arising from a physical or mental impairment that are severe, profound or complex and have a permanent and substantial and long-term adverse effect on the child/young person and/or their families. This may include situations where the child/young person’s disability has an impact on their ability to be safe, develop skills for life and be part of their local communities.
For up-to-date information about CCHDT, the specialist support on offer and eligibility criteria is found on the Local Offer website
Key contacts:
- During office hours – Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5pm and Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm referrals for CCHDT can be made via the Integrated Front Door. Call freephone number 0800 953 0966
- Use this online form to make a referral for support for your child or young
person.
Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP) and Personal Budgets
Children with Education Health and Care plan (EHCP’s) and their carers should be supported to ensure they are able to achieve their potential and ensure that no child is left behind.
Children’s EHCPs should be regularly reviewed, and this should include input from the child’s main care giver.
Further support and information can be accessed using this link to the EHCP page on the Local Offer website.
SEND Short Breaks
Short Breaks Support is only available when there is no social worker involvement already.
The SEND Short Breaks team specialises in researching, identifying, running and monitoring short break services for young people with disabilities aged 0 to 18 years throughout the Bradford district.
Accessing a short break is via an assessment of need which highlights the most suitable activity to meet the needs of each child and young person.
For more information about SEND Short Breaks, visit the page on the Bradford Local Offer website.
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Family time
Family time, when it works well, can reassure children that their family members still care about them. It can help them process why they no longer live with them and come to terms with their past. It can help them to continue to develop relationships with siblings and their wider family network which may be very important to them as they get older.
Family dynamics can be complex and emotionally demanding for kinship carers to manage. However, it is important that children maintain links with their family where this is safe and appropriate.
Family time is the term used for opportunities for children to stay in touch with their family, friends and other people who are important to them, including brothers and sisters. Family time is meant to create positive experiences for children, nurturing their connections with those who are important to the child. This is essential for the child’s sense of identity and belonging.
Family time can be direct or indirect. It is important that kinship carers are aware of what has been agreed.
Direct family time is when the child spends time face to face with the important people in their lives. Indirect family time includes phone calls, FaceTime, WhatsApp video calls, letters, emails, birthday cards as well as the exchange of information at key events for the child such as Christmas, Eid or Easter.
If a child has a plan of permanence via either a Child Arrangement Order or Special Guardianship Order, the level of family time for the child and parents will be specified by the court. Following the granting of a Special Guardianship Order, it is up to the carer to follow the plans set by the court. However, family time must always be reflective of what is in the best interests of the child and can be challenged and changed.
If a child remains on a Care Order, support is available from the child’s social worker and the fostering worker.
Family time can be unsupervised, facilitated or supervised:
Unsupervised
Unsupervised family time means that the family time takes place with no-one else there to facilitate, support or supervise the session.
Facilitated
Facilitated family time is where some support is provided for the family time such as a room in a Contact Centre or a Children’s Centre; and where possible, staff might greet everyone beforehand and pop in to ask if anything is needed. This would need to have been agreed with the venue where the family time is taking place, prior to arranging the booking of the room.
Supervised
Supervised family time involves someone who is allocated to be present
throughout the whole session and a written record is kept. This sometimes happens because information about the parent(s) in contact sessions is needed to inform court proceedings. Another reason for supervising family time is for the child’s safety and welfare.
Family time should always take place unless it is not reasonably practicable or consistent with the child’s welfare. Family time must always be for the benefit of the child and not the parent, relative or friend.
Family time arrangements should be reviewed as part of the child in care review for those children who remain look after by Bradford Children and Families Trust and this should be monitored and supported by the child’s social worker and supervising social worker for the kinship foster carer.
In other kinship arrangements, the court may have decided what family time should take place between the child and their parents and kinship carers should be aware of this at the time of the order being made.
Sometimes family time arrangements can break down because the child no longer wishes to attend, or a break down in the relationship between the kinship carer and parent/parents.
Support may be available from the Foster for Bradford SGO service for kinship carers who can offer advice around managing family time.
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Family network meetings
A family network is a group of people close to a child made up of relatives, including parents, siblings and grandparents and non-related connected people, such as stepparents or close family friends.
Family networks can be an essential support network to help families stay together and thrive. When this is not possible, they themselves offer a safe, loving and stable home to keep children out of local authority care.
Kinship carers may find themselves requiring support whilst caring for children or there may be difficulties in the relationships between the carer and parents for several reasons that are impacting on both the child and carer.
In these instances, kinship carers and SGO carers may require support in working through these difficulties with the support of an impartial person.
For kinship foster carers, support will be available from the child’s social worker and the fostering worker.
The Kinship Post Order Support Team may be able to offer a family network meeting to resolve any ongoing difficulties between family members and support them in coming together to work out solutions.
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Early help support
Support for kinship carers is also available from Bradford Children and Families Trust’s early help service – Bradford Family and Young Peoples Information Services (FYI).
Early help can prevent minor problems and issues from growing into a crisis.
For more information about the prevention and early help services and support you may be able to access, go to the page on the Bradford FYI website.
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Legal support
Kinship carers approved at fostering panel are provided with financial assistance from Bradford Children and Families Trust prior to the making of a Special Guardianship Order where the child is currently on a care order. This payment is a one-off payment of £250 to seek legal advice prior to taking up the order to ensure the carer is fully prepared and understands the legalities around the specific order.
In private family proceedings, legal aid is available for prospective kinship carers and kinship carers for special guardianship orders. This is also subject to means and merits eligibility assessments.
If a kinship carer wishes to discuss their matter with a legal aid provider, and explore their eligibility further, use the online Find a legal aid adviser or family mediator tool, to find legal aid advisers locally.
Bradford Children and Families Trust cannot advise which solicitor to seek advice from but can direct to solicitor firms who specialise in childcare law practice.
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Emotional, mental health and therapeutic support
Emotional well-being for carers
Stress is a common experience for kinship carers, who often face unique challenges in
caring for children who have been through difficult experiences.
Being a kinship carer can be emotionally demanding. It is important for kinship carers to take time for self-care. This includes seeking help when needed and making time for themselves. Being able to manage stress is not just about helping oneself but also ensuring they can provide the best care for the child.
Being able to speak with people who have had the same experiences and understand
the demands and impact on the whole family can be a good source of support.
Support groups are available for all kinship carers to attend. Kinship runs monthly
support groups in Bradford for kinship carers. For further information, visit the Kinship website.
Mental health crisis support
First Response: This service is available 24/7 for people of all ages experiencing a mental health crisis in Bradford, Airedale, Wharfedale, and Craven.
Call 0800 952 1181 or call 111 and select the mental health option.
If you are, or someone else is, at immediate risk, always call 999.
You can text SHOUT to 85258 for a free 24/7 text service for anyone in crisis.
You can also visit the Healthy Minds website for a wider range of information and
support
Therapeutic support
The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) is available to children
and families where the children are subject to Special Guardianship Orders, or Child Arrangement Orders and were previously in care.
The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund therapeutic support for these
children and young people up to and including the age of 21, or up to the age of 25 if the child has an education, health and care plan:
- are living (placed) with a family in England while waiting for adoption
were adopted from local authority care in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern
Ireland and live in England - were adopted from abroad and live in England with a recognised adoption status
were in care before an SGO was made - left care under a special guardianship order that was subsequently changed to an
adoption order, or vice versa - are under a residency order or child arrangement order (CAO) and were previously
in local authority care - were previously looked after but where the adoption, special guardianship,
residency or CAO placement has broken down, irrespective of any reconciliation
plans.
The Kinship Post Order Support Team will complete the assessment of need and
application to the ASGSF. They will identify what therapeutic support is required and
identify a therapist who specialises in that area. Until the end of March 2026, the ASGSF will have fair access limits of £3,000 per child per year for specialist assessment and therapy.
The local authority or children’s trust that places a child with a family is responsible for
assessing that family’s support needs for 3 years after the order is made. After 3 years, the
responsibility lies with the local authority where the family lives.
Foster for Bradford also has a therapeutic social work team who helps foster
carers/kinship foster carers to:
- understand and make sense of the meaning behind
children’s behaviours - nderstand how developmental trauma impact on a child’s developing brain
- look beyond the behaviour, to understand what is causing it – this is the key to healing a hurt child
- recognise the important role in which foster carers have in the healing process of the child that requires time and perseverance.
The team can offer:
- fostering placement support clinics
- therapeutic life story clinics
- PACE- attachment based family work
- Theraplay
Please speak to your supervising social worker or Kinship Post Order Support Team if you feel you
would benefit from this support.
Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS)
CAMHS is the NHS services that assess and treat young people if they are struggling with
poor mental health. Generally, CAMHS can support children and young people with lots of different mental health difficulties and conditions, like:
- depression or low mood
- problems with food and eating
- self-harm or suicidal thoughts
- difficult feelings from abuse, , which may have led to trauma
- sleep problems
- managing violence or anger
- bipolar disorder, psychosis, borderline personality disorder and schizophrenia
- feelings of worry or anxiety
- coping with grief and loss
- neurodivergence like autism or ADHD
For more information, visit the NHS CAMHS website.
For information for young people about CAMHS, visit the Young Minds website.
Young carers support
A young carer is someone under the age of 18 who helps to care for a family member, relative or friend. A young person aged 16-25 with caring responsibilities can be known as a young adult carer.
Children and young people living in kinship care arrangements can sometimes find themselves caring for their aging relatives or relatives with disabilities.
It is important that these children and young people also receive support in these circumstances.
For further information about young carers and support, visit the Barnardo’s Young Carers website.
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Out-of-hours / emergency support
Bradford Children and Families Trust have an emergency out-of-hours duty team.
For urgent concerns about a child or young person outside of office hours, call 01274 431010 or the freephone number 0800 953 0966.
In an emergency, call 999.
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Diversity and inclusion
A child’s identity is based on a range of factors including their ethnicity, religion, language, sexuality, gender orientation, family relationships and the community they live in. If they live in a culturally diverse area, they will be aware of more people like themselves.
Practical things, such as food and diet, hair care, social activities, and education, are also very important in forming a child’s identity.
Some carers may struggle with understanding how to meet children’s cultural, and identity needs if different to their own. Support and advice can be accessed from Fosterline and from Kinship.
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Complaints procedure
If a kinship carer is not satisfied with the level of support provided to enable them to care for the child, then they can use Bradford Children and Families Trust’s complaints procedure.
Bradford Children and Families Trust’s aim is to resolve any such dissatisfaction without the need for a formal investigation but if an informal resolution is not possible, then a formal investigation will be arranged.
The timescale and process are set out in Bradford Children and Families Trust’s Complaints Procedure.
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Useful information and organisations
Useful reading
Forgotten: Support for kinship children’s education and mental health – a report from Kinship
Forgotten shares insights from Kinship’s 2023 annual survey of kinship carers to reveal how a complex, inadequate and often inaccessible landscape of support for kinship children’s education and mental health is resulting in significant challenges for kinship families across England and Wales. Given the legacy of childhood trauma for children who enter kinship care and the impact this can have on their learning and wellbeing, the UK and Welsh Governments and local authorities should prioritise delivering urgent support tailored to the unique needs and strengths of all kinship families. Click here to access the report: Forgotten: Support for kinship children’s education and mental health
The designated teacher for looked-after and previously looked-after children
Dept for Education statutory guidance for the governing bodies of maintained schools, academy proprietors and the designated staff member at maintained schools and academies when promoting the educational attainment of looked-after and previously looked-after children. Click here to access the guidance: The designated teacher for looked-after and previously looked-after children: Statutory guidance on their roles and responsibilities
How can education professionals support children in kinship care?
Guidance from Kinship for education professionals who play an important role in the lives of children in kinship care, to help them support children in kinship care in school to thrive academically. Click here to access the guidance: How can education professionals support children in kinship care?
Useful organisations’ contact details
Bradford Families Information Service (FYI) is a free, impartial service offering advice, information and signposting to children, young people and families within the Bradford district. Here you can find information and advice pages for all aspects of family life, a service directory and a guide to local activities and events.
Bradford family hubs provide a place for local families, along with their children and young people, to go and receive the help and support they may need, s well as enjoying the facilities in the hubs and activities on offer. There are 4 main family hubs – one for each area of the district.
Bradford Local Offer provides information about activities, information, support available in the area for children and young people with special educational needs and / or disabilities, as well as their parents/carers.
Bradford SENDIASS offers advice and support around various topics relating to special educational needs and disabilities for children and young people aged 0-25 living in the Bradford district. Phone 01274 513300 or email BradfordSENDIASS@barnardos.org.uk
Bradford’s Virtual School supports children and young people in care, previously in care and those with a social worker to receive the best possible educational provision and outcomes.
Bradford’s Virtual School supports children and young people in care, previously in care and those with a social worker to receive the best possible educational provision and outcomes.
Children’s community support team (CCST) provides behavioural assessments and strategies for parents / carers whose children and young people with a diagnosed disability or having been identified as having special educational needs who present behaviours that challenge, as well as sleep clinics. Phone 01274 436684 or email Kelly.galloway@bradford.gov.uk
Kinship is the leading kinship care charity in England and Wales, supporting friends or family who step up to raise a child when their parents aren’t able to. Get support and advice by phone 0300 1237015 or web: Talk to someone – Kinship
Let’s Talk Relationships (LTR) were previously known as Relate Bradford & Leeds, and we are now called Let’s Talk Relationships (LTR). We’re an independent charity, still providing the same expert relationship support across the region. Phone 01274 726096
Special educational needs and disability (SEND) integrated assessment team provides specialist assessment and support when it appears that a child may require individual special educational, social care and / or continuing health care provision. This happens if their needs cannot be met by mainstream services even with additional support from those services.
Kinship Post Order Support Team To make an enquiry to the Kinship Post Order Support Team at Bradford Children and Families Trust, please email: kinship.post.order.support.team@bradford.gov.uk
Your Family Matters provides support for families to come together in an engaging environment to sustain positive change. Phone 0333 577 1786 or email admin@yourfamilymatters.co.uk
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