CoramBAAF and Coram Children’s Legal Centre (CCLC) have provided evidence on current practice in kinship care assessments and recommendations for improvements to the cross-party Parliamentary Taskforce on Kinship Care. Key current challenges identified include:
- The ongoing need for advice on kinship care and the rights of the child, parent/s and carer/s
- The impact of time pressures, including court deadlines and time limits specified under Part 4 of the Children Act 1989.
- Inconsistent practice regarding local authority support in kinship care arrangements, including financial support.
- Confusion around local authority responsibilities for kinship care placements and when to class as “private” or as arrangements organised by the authority
- The management of birth parent contact, with kinship carers unclear about their legal obligations and a lack of local authority support
Further information, including a link to the full written evidence, is on the CoramBAAF website.