Statutory guidance

Kinship care: guidance for local authorities

How local authorities should support children who are cared for by extended family, friends or connected persons and their families.

• From: Department for Education
• Published: 11 October 2024
• Last updated: 2 October 2026
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  1. 2 October 2026

     Updated to reflect new duties on local authorities contained in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 and new national kinship standards.

  2. 11 October 2024

     First published.

Applies to England

Documents

Kinship care: statutory guidance for local authorities

PDF, 654 KB, 79 pages

Details

This statutory guidance is for local authorities and their staff.

It sets out:

• how local authorities should support children in kinship care and their families, and expectations for the delivery of services to them
• the duties on local authorities in relation to children in kinship care and their families, as contained in the Children Act 1989 and subsequent legislation, including the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026