How we support kinship carers
Find out what support we provide for kinship carers with a special guardianship order, residence order, or child arrangements order.
How the council supports kinship carers
If you are a kinship carer you may be wondering what support is available to you, ranging from:
- advice and information about housing and finances
- therapeutic parenting ideas and support
- how to talk with the child or young person you care for about their life story
- how to manage relationships with the child or young person’s parents
- how to get therapeutic support
- help with schools and colleges
- any difficulties you or your family might be facing
Brighton and Hove City Council offers varied support to kinship families, according to need, including access to advice, training, social work or family support, family group conferencing, peer support groups and signposting to universal services.
Advice for kinship carers often consists of guidance to help access services that are universally available to children who live with their parents. Kinship carers may find it difficult to discover what resources are available for children living in their area. Brighton and Hove City Council is committed to ensuring that information about local services will be easily accessible to kinship carers.
For families who live in Brighton and Hove, Brighton and Hove City Council provides valuable universal support and advice for families with children of all ages. For more information, please click this link: Help and support for families
Support assessments
The Brighton & Hove Kinship Care Team offers a range of support to kinship carers who hold a legal order such as a special guardianship order, residence order or child arrangements order or are kinship foster carers.
If you hold a legal order for the child you care for, and would like an assessment of support needs, contact Front Door For Families and ask to be directed to the Brighton & Hove Kinship Care Team.
- 01273 290 400
- Refer a child or family to Front Door for Families
Tell us if you are worried about a child or refer a child or family to Best Start Family Hubs for early help and support.
What support Brighton & Hove Kinship Care Team offers
Brighton & Hove Kinship Care Team offers:
- a monthly carers’ peer support group
- a monthly support group for carers of children who are of Black or Global Majority heritage
- monthly training and workshops run by the Kinship Care Team covering topics relevant to carers providing reparative care for children who have experienced relationship trauma and harm
- the allocation of a support worker as necessary until the child turns 18 years old
- kinship kids' events throughout the year
- access to Kinship Care Team updates via the kinship WhatsApp community, email and kinship newsletter
- access to the annual kinship celebration as part of National Kinship Care Week
- consultation and mediation with other agencies, for example, Education, Housing and Health
- advice about financial support, financial assessments and signposting to benefits
- signposting for therapeutic support for children
- advice on eligibility for Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund
- applications to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) to access therapeutic support services for children previously in care
- advice regarding pupil premium and pupil premium plus
- advice and support with managing behaviour, supporting a child’s identity and heritage, managing family time
Not all kinship families are eligible for ASGSF support. Where families are not eligible the Kinship Care Team will signpost to other services or agencies to access therapeutic support.
The Kinship Care Team produces regular newsletters which provide helpful information about support groups, training and topic-based information. Sign up to the newsletter by contacting:
The Kinship care team provide support and advice to kinship carers in Brighton & Hove.