How do I obtain parental responsibility for the child I am caring for?

Caring for a child that isn’t your own, doesn’t automatically give you parental responsibility. Here’s information on what parental responsibility entails and how to apply for it

This advice applies to: England and Wales

Join a free workshop on formalising your kinship care arrangement

We’re running a series of online workshops on formalising your kinship care arrangement. This workshop covers what parental responsibility means and how the different kinship arrangements impact the decisions you can make for your kinship child. These are free and aimed at kinship carers living in England.

If you are a family member or friend who steps up, often during an unexpected crisis, to care for a child when their parents aren’t able to, you are defined as a kinship carer. As a kinship carer, you do not automatically have parental responsibility for the child you are caring for.