Helping you to meet your obligations under the Family and Friends Care: statutory guidance for local authorities
Our programmes are an easy, cost-effective way for local authorities to set up and manage some of the requirements set out in the Family and Friends Care: statutory guidance for local authorities including:
| Requirement | How we can help |
|---|---|
| Children and young people who are unable to live with their parents should receive the support that they and their carers need to safeguard and promote their welfare, whether or not they are looked after. | We support all kinship carers, regardless of legal order. We offer one-to-one support according to how the local authority wishes to refer families. We encourage all the local authorities we work with to open access to support groups to all kinship carers, regardless of legal order. |
| Local authorities should make sure that family and friends carers are aware of relevant support services and these can be readily accessed by those caring for children. | Our project workers signpost kinship carers to services and support available to them, both locally and nationally. Our specialist kinship care advice service also provides relevant up-to-date advice and information, including on accessing benefits and grants. |
| An emphasis on integrated public services working in partnership with private and voluntary sector will help ensure easy access to services which provide effective early interventions to meet the needs of children and their families. | All our commissioned services use a collaborative approach with the local authority in order to increase trust with kinship carers and increase access to services. Our project workers are usually based within the local authority teams and work in close partnership, whilst also offering the benefit of being an independent charity for the carers. |
| Local authorities should work with partner agencies and the voluntary sector to find ways to encourage peer support and access to support groups. | Peer support and social action are at the heart of our programmes and services. We work with local authorities and kinship carers to encourage the set-up of new peer support groups and the growth of existing ones to become carer-led and sustainable. Our Someone Like Me service offers telephone support from trained volunteer kinship carers to others in a similar situation. |
For more information about commissioning our programmes for your own local authority, please get in touch with kate.obrien@kinship.org.uk.
Ombudsman updates
See the below articles from the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman in relation to obligations for local authorities for family and friends care
