Kinship care

Kinship care is when you're raising a child who isn't your own, usually a grandchild, niece, nephew, sibling or the child of a close friend, because their parents can't look after them. There isn't a single "kinship benefit", but there's a patchwork of support you may be able to claim, and lots of kinship carers miss out because nobody tells them. This is one to share with anyone you know in that position. 🫶

What might you be able to get? (weekly rates from April 2026)

• Child Benefit: £27.05 for the eldest or only child and £17.90 for each additional child. You don't need to be a parent or legal guardian, just the person responsible for the child.
• Guardian's Allowance: £22.95 per child on top of Child Benefit, if the child's parents have died (or in some other cases, like one parent being missing or in prison). We covered this one under G.
• Universal Credit: if you're on a low income you may get the child element for each child, and possibly extra for a disabled child, which can't be claimed alongside kinship foster care payments.
• Council Tax reductions, free school meals, Healthy Start and other help for low-income families may also apply.
• Local council support: many councils offer a discretionary allowance, especially for special guardians, but it varies a lot from area to area.

Good things to know:

• Your legal arrangement matters. Informal carers, special guardians, people with a Child Arrangements Order and kinship foster carers (where the council places the child with you) all have different rights. Foster carers receive a fostering allowance, but in that case can't claim the child element of Universal Credit, Child Benefit or Guardian's Allowance.
• Kinship Zones pilot: since April 2026, a government pilot is trying out a regular allowance, set at the same level as the foster care minimum allowance, for some kinship carers in seven English council areas: Bexley, Bolton, Newcastle, North East Lincolnshire, Medway, Thurrock and Wiltshire. If you live in one of those areas, ask your council.
• Don't assume your council has to help. It isn't required to support every kinship carer, but you can ask for an assessment, and many people find that asking makes the difference.
• Child Benefit and Guardian's Allowance can be backdated by up to 3 months, so claim as soon as you can.
• If your income is over a certain level, you may have to pay the High Income Child Benefit Charge, but you can still claim.
• It's worth checking whether you can get help with legal costs, school admissions, and whether you qualify for Pupil Premium Plus funding for the child.

Where to start: the charity Kinship has a free advice line and a brilliant guide to money and benefits for kinship carers. Family Rights Group, Grandparents Plus and Citizens Advice are great too. A benefits check with Turn2us can show what else you could be getting.

Rates are correct for 2026/27, but always double-check on GOV.UK. Support is different in each UK nation. In Scotland, formal kinship carers can receive the Scottish Recommended Allowance, and Wales and Northern Ireland have their own arrangements, so check with your local council.

If you're raising someone else's child, you're doing something amazing. Please come and share your story or ask questions on the forum.