Families often step in when a child can’t live with their parents. In the UK, there are two main routes for this: kinship care (family and friends care) and fostering. They can look similar on the surface—same home, same love, same daily routines—but legally, financially, and procedurally they’re different. Here’s a clear, 2025-ready guide to help you compare them and choose the right path for your family.
1) What each term actually means
Kinship care means a child is being raised by relatives (grandparents, aunts/uncles, older siblings) or sometimes close family friends. It can be:
- Informal: arranged within the family without the child becoming “looked after” by the local authority.
- Formal via a court order: most commonly a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) or a “lives with” Child Arrangements Order (CAO) which gives the carer day-to-day responsibility and sets contact arrangements.
- Private fostering: where a child lives with someone who is not a close relative for 28+ days—this must be notified to the local authority (there’s oversight but it’s not the same as fostering approval).
Fostering is when a child is looked after by the local authority and placed with approved foster carers. Carers can be:
- Mainstream foster carers (not previously known to the child).
- Connected persons/family and friends foster carers (kinship carers approved as foster carers for a specific child). Local authorities can grant temporary approval quickly if the child needs to move immediately, while the full assessment continues; in England this temporary approval can last up to 24 weeks under Regulation 24.
2) Who holds parental responsibility (PR)?
- In mainstream fostering, the local authority usually shares or holds PR (sometimes alongside parents). Carers act on behalf of the authority and follow the care plan.
- In kinship with an SGO, the special guardian gets PR and can exercise it to the exclusion of others (apart from another special guardian). This allows day-to-day decisions without constant social worker approval. With a “lives with” CAO, carers have PR for the duration of the order, typically shared with birth parents.
Why this matters: PR affects who signs school forms, medical consent, passports, and who must be consulted for major decisions. If you want long-term stability and autonomy, an SGO often provides a clearer framework than fostering.
3) Assessment and approval routes
- Mainstream fostering (non-kin): a Form F assessment, references, medicals, checks, training (“Skills to Foster”), and a fostering panel decision.
- Connected persons fostering (kin as foster carers): if the child is already placed or an urgent move is needed, the LA can temporarily approve the relative/friend up to 24 weeks while completing the full fostering assessment; once approved, they are foster carers for that specific child and come under the fostering regulations, standards and reviews.
- Kinship via court order (SGO/CAO): there’s still assessment (a report to the court), but it’s a different legal pathway and does not make you a foster carer.
4) Money and support in 2025
Allowances/fees in fostering:
- Foster carers receive a child’s allowance (to cover living costs) and often a fee/skill payment from the local authority or independent fostering agency (IFA). Packages vary by age/needs and, in England, region. (Allowances are separate from carer “fees”.)
Kinship financial support:
- Historically, kinship carers with SGO/CAO have faced postcode variation and means-tested support. In 2025, the government announced a Kinship Allowance Pilot in up to 10 English local authorities—an important shift. The pilot funds a weekly allowance at the same level as the fostering National Minimum Allowance (NMA) for eligible kinship carers (with SGO or a “lives with” CAO). It’s scheduled to run from November 2025 to March 2029 and will be independently evaluated before any wider rollout.
Private fostering: there’s no standard allowance like fostering, but the arrangement must be notified and the local authority will assess suitability and provide advice and monitoring.
Bottom line on money: In 2025, mainstream and connected-person fostering still tends to provide the clearest, guaranteed financial framework. The pilot is a big step towards parity for kinship carers, but it’s limited to selected areas until evaluation. Check your local authority’s current policy if you’re considering SGO/CAO.
5) Oversight, training and reviews
- Fostering (mainstream or connected persons): carers are supervised by a supervising social worker, have regular reviews, mandatory and ongoing training, unannounced visits, and are registered/approved by the fostering service (with Ofsted oversight in England). Policies cover safer caring, recording, allegations, complaints and standards.
- Kinship with SGO/CAO: oversight is lighter. You won’t have fostering supervision or panel reviews, though the child’s social worker may be involved for a period. Training/support depends on local services and any agreed support plan (often set when the order is made). Independent organisations (e.g., Kinship) provide guidance and peer support.
Implication: if you want more professional support, structured training and formal escalation routes, fostering offers that by design. If you want more autonomy and fewer visits, an SGO/CAO may feel better—provided the support package meets the child’s needs.
6) Day-to-day decision-making
With fostering, some permissions (e.g., holidays abroad, school trips, haircuts for younger children, sleepovers) can require delegated authority to be set out in the care plan; you’ll sometimes need social worker approval. With an SGO, more decisions sit directly with you as the person holding PR, which often simplifies daily life.
7) Stability and long-term permanence
- Fostering can be short-term, long-term, emergency or respite. Long-term fostering can provide stability without changing legal status, but PR generally remains with the LA/parents.
- SGO is designed specifically for long-term permanence within the family network. It clarifies PR, day-to-day control, and long-term commitment while keeping the legal link to birth parents.
8) When does “connected persons fostering” make sense?
This route is useful when a child needs an immediate safe home with family and the local authority plans to keep the child looked after while assessments continue or long-term plans are decided. The temporary approval mechanism (up to 24 weeks) allows the child to stay with family while the full fostering assessment is completed. If the plan later moves toward permanence within the family, the carers might apply for an SGO.
9) What about “private fostering”?
If a child is living for 28+ days with someone who is not a parent or close relative (e.g., a family friend), this counts as private fostering and must be notified to the local authority. The council assesses and visits, but the child is not “looked after” and the carers are not foster carers. It’s a different legal category with its own guidance and duties.
10) The 2025 landscape at a glance
- The government is actively testing improved financial support for kinship families through the Kinship Allowance Pilot (up to 10 areas, Nov 2025–Mar 2029), matching the fostering NMA for eligible SGO/CAO carers. This could reduce breakdowns and make kinship a more sustainable long-term option if rolled out nationally.
- Connected persons fostering remains a crucial emergency/short-notice route, with legal cover for temporary approval while full assessment proceeds.
- Mainstream fostering still offers the most structured support, training and supervision, along with clear allowance + fee frameworks—important for complex needs or when carers want ongoing professional backing.
11) How to choose the right route
Choose fostering (mainstream or connected persons) if you:
- Need immediate placement with formal support,
- Want regular supervision, training and a clear policy framework,
- Expect ongoing involvement from social care and possibly court.
Consider SGO/CAO (kinship) if you:
- Plan to care for the child long-term within the family,
- Want PR to make day-to-day decisions more easily,
- Can secure an adequate support package (finance, respite, therapeutic help). The 2025 pilot may improve financial parity in selected areas; check if your LA is participating.
Final word
Both routes keep children connected to the people who know and love them best. In 2025, the practical difference comes down to legal status (PR), level of oversight, and financial support. If you’re at a crossroads, ask your local authority to outline (1) who will hold PR, (2) the exact allowance/fee or kinship support you’ll receive, (3) training/therapeutic support, and (4) what changes if the plan moves from fostering to an SGO. With those answers in hand, you can choose a path that protects the child’s stability—and works for your family.