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Stepping up to raise a child can be expensive, and money worries are common for kinship carers. Find out what financial support and benefits are available to you.
Information about the adoption and special guardianship support fund for kinship carers.
This advice applies to: England and Wales
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Some kinship carers can get financial support from the adoption and special guardianship support fund.
The fund can help you pay for essential therapeutic services, such as creative therapies or life story work.
Read government information on the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (GOV.UK)
Children who are eligible include those up to and including the age of 21, (or 25 with an education, health and care plan), who:
Contact your local authority’s children’s services to ask if the child you care for is eligible. Find contact details by using Kinship Compass, our kinship support services finder.
You can use financial support from the adoption and special guardianship support fund to pay for:
It can also pay for specialist assessments that lead to a therapeutic support plan for your family. The assessments are carried out by qualified clinicians and should be focused on trauma and attachment.
The fund cannot be used to assess specific conditions unless they are part of a wider specialist assessment.
Children’s services apply to the fund on your behalf. You can ask children’s services for an assessment. You may need to ask the adoption and permanence team, family and friends care designated officer, or a different department. If you are not sure who to ask, the social worker who helped you get the special guardianship order or child arrangements order may be able to help.
Children’s services should apply to the adoption and special guardianship support fund within 3 months of assessing you.
The children’s services department that placed the child with you is responsible for assessing your support needs for up to 3 years. After that, it becomes the responsibility of the children’s services department where you live.
The adoption support fund has two limits:
If you are asking for funding above these limits, children’s services must confirm that it will match-fund any amount over the limit, and that:
You cannot contact the adoption and special guardianship support fund directly. If you disagree with children’s services’ assessment, you will need to go through its appeals process.
Once the assessment is complete, children’s services should tell you about the outcome in writing and must let you know how long you have to appeal the decision (28 days is recommended good practice).
Children’s services cannot make a final decision until the deadline for appealing has passed, or you have told them you are happy with the proposed decision.
Read government information on the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (GOV.UK)
Here at Kinship, we offer a range of free support for all kinship carers, including workshops, online advice and information, and support groups.
To find services, information and support in your local area, including information about your local children’s services, use our Kinship Compass tool.
You can also contact the Kinship advice team for free, non-judgmental advice and information if you live in England or Wales.
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