Find out what help is available to help you cope with rising energy bills.
Tell us about you
We need to learn more about you and your current situation to provide the most helpful advice and information.
Where are you?
Tell us more about you
We need to learn more about you and your current situation to find the most helpful advice and information.
What is your current situation?
Support where you are
Our services cover England and Wales, but you may find some of the more general advice and information on our website useful.
We are not affiliated with the following organisations, but they may be able to help you if you live in one of these countries.
If you live in Scotland, visit Kinship Care
If you live in Northern Ireland, visit Kinship Care Northern Ireland
Tell us more about you
We need to learn more about you and your current situation to find the most helpful advice and information.
What type of kinship carer are you?
Resources for professionals
The advice and information pages on our website are aimed at kinship carers, but you may find them useful too. You may also want to share them with the carers you work with or read through them together.
We also have an area on our site that features information and resources just for professionals who work with kinship carers.
Your answers were:
- Country: {{country}}
- Current situation: {{audience}}
Find out how you become a kinship carer, and what to expect from the process.
Practical steps you can take to plan for what will happen to the children if you become ill or die.
Find out about the responsibilities of schools towards children and young people in kinship care.
If you are a kinship carer to a 16- or 17-year-old, find out how they might be able to claim Universal Credit.
What to do if you are worried about a child's safety or welfare
Information about parental responsibility and how it can be obtained.
Drugs and alcohol can have a devastating effect on families and is a common cause of children being raised in kinship care. Find out about sources of help.
Information on meeting the cost of buying school uniforms
What kind of help are you looking for?
Tell us more about you.
We need to learn more about you and your current situation to find the most helpful advice and information
What do you need help with?
What type of arrangement does the kinship carer you support have?
Find a peer support group
We run a peer-to-peer support service for all kinship carers in England, funded by the Department for Education and led by our team here at Kinship. Peer-support groups give kinship carers a chance to meet, speak to and share experiences with people who are going through a similar situation.
You can visit the peer support section of this website to find a group in your area or learn how you can start a group if there isn’t one near you.
Get urgent support
Though we do have a dedicated advice service, we are not able to deal with emergencies. If you, a kinship carer or a child in kinship care is injured or in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for an ambulance or go to accident and emergency (A&E) at your nearest hospital. Call 111 if you need medical help quickly, but it is not a 999 emergency. You can call 101 if you need to report a crime.
Advice and information for you
The pages below should help you find the information you need based on the answers you gave. Can’t see what you were looking for? Start again or see all advice.
Your answers were:
- Country: {{country}}
- Current situation: {{audience}}
- Type of kinship carer: {{care_arrangement}}
- Topic: {{topic}}
Find out what help is available to help you cope with rising energy bills.
Find out how you become a kinship carer, and what to expect from the process.
Practical steps you can take to plan for what will happen to the children if you become ill or die.
Find out about the responsibilities of schools towards children and young people in kinship care.
If you are a kinship carer to a 16- or 17-year-old, find out how they might be able to claim Universal Credit.
What to do if you are worried about a child's safety or welfare
Information about parental responsibility and how it can be obtained.
Drugs and alcohol can have a devastating effect on families and is a common cause of children being raised in kinship care. Find out about sources of help.
Information on meeting the cost of buying school uniforms
What do you need help with?
Advice and information for you
The pages below should help you find the information you need based on the answers you gave. Can’t see what you were looking for? Start again or see all advice.
Your answers were:
- Country: {{country}}
- Current situation: {{audience}}
- Type of kinship carer: {{care_arrangement}}
- Topic: {{topic}}
Find out what help is available to help you cope with rising energy bills.
Find out how you become a kinship carer, and what to expect from the process.
Practical steps you can take to plan for what will happen to the children if you become ill or die.
Find out about the responsibilities of schools towards children and young people in kinship care.
If you are a kinship carer to a 16- or 17-year-old, find out how they might be able to claim Universal Credit.
What to do if you are worried about a child's safety or welfare
Information about parental responsibility and how it can be obtained.
Drugs and alcohol can have a devastating effect on families and is a common cause of children being raised in kinship care. Find out about sources of help.
Information on meeting the cost of buying school uniforms