Kinship care

Are you caring or thinking of caring for members of your family or for a friend? This is known as ‘kinship care’ or ‘family and friends care’.

There are different ways you can provide this care: with legal orders or with the agreement of the birth parents. Whatever your arrangement, you may need access to support and advice to help you manage these changes in your family and to help each child achieve their full potential.

Rebecca’s story below shares how she became a kinship carer and some of the challenges and positive things this has brought.

The following downloads may help you make an informed choice from the outset. If you already have an arrangement then there are details about other organisations that can help or contacts within the Children and Families Directorate of Leeds City Council.

The one minute guide on Kinship Care tells you what Leeds City Council is doing, as in Leeds we believe that children should live with their family wherever possible and there are a range of ways the team can assist you to achieve this.