Support for family and friends carers
If you work with friends and family carers it may be useful to have some context about the advice you can provide them with and to clarify the support that is available to them.
There are a number of possible routes for carers to seek support for looking after a child who is not their own. The legal status of the child determines what services and financial support will be available to family and friends carers.
Click to read more about legal arrangements for friends and family carers.
Friends and family carers: foster care
Where the circumstances merit it the child may be looked after by the local authority. If this is the case, the friend or family carer is entitled to the same foster allowance, training and support as any other approved foster carer.
Since the Munby judgement of September 2001, local authorities must pay the same rates of allowance to their foster carers regardless of whether the child they are fostering is a relative. Note that this judgement only applies to those carers who have been approved as foster carers.
The foster allowance covers all the costs of accommodating and maintaining the child. For this reason, child benefit and child tax credits are not payable in respect of any looked-after child.
Click for more information on the legal arrangements for private fostering.
Family and friends carers: children not looked after by the local authority
Where a child is not looked after by the local authority they are entitled to access the same services and support as any other child. Friends and family carers are also entitled to access the same services and support as any other parent or carer.
Depending upon their individual circumstances, carers of children who are not looked after by the local authority may be able to claim financial support by applying to HM Revenue and Customs. Click on the links below to read more information on Directgov:
Click for further information in leaflet BC1: Babies and Children - A basic guide to benefits and tax credits for anyone expecting a baby or caring for children.
Further support for friends and family carers
Local authorities are also empowered to assist with the care of children and young people. After an assessment of need local authorities may provide the following support:
Residence order allowance
Some local authorities support families who have a residence order in respect of the child that they are looking after. This type of allowance is generally a contribution towards the cost of accommodating and maintaining the child. Services and payments are provided once an assessment of need has been carried out, usually after a request for an assessment from the child's carer.
There is no obligation for a local authority to pay a residence order allowance. They are payable at the discretion of the local authority. Friends and family carers can contact their local authority for further information. If you are a practitioner it may be useful to know whether your authority provides this support.
Support for children in need
Where the local authority determines that a child is 'in need' within the meaning of the Children Act 1989, the authority may then provide services to meet those needs, or, in exceptional cases, provide financial assistance, under section 17.
Services and payments can only be provided once an assessment of need has been carried out, usually after carers have requested an assessment from their local authority.
There is no obligation for a local authority to provide services or payments. Under section 17 of the 1989 Act, the provision of services or payments is at the discretion of the local authority.
Special guardianship support services
Local authorities are required to make arrangements for the provision of special guardianship support services. These include counselling, advice, information and such other services (including financial support) as prescribed in Special Guardianship (England) Regulations 2005. The regulations also provide for the assessment of needs for special guardianship support services and the planning and reviewing of those support services.
Services and payments can only be provided once an assessment of need has been carried out. This will usually be undertaken after carers or the children themselves have requested an assessment from their local authority.
Click to read the Special Guardianship Regulations 2005 on the OPSI website.
This page was last updated on 23 December 2005
