About Kinship and Our Team
Kinship Care
When a child or young person cannot live with, remain with, or return to the care of their birth parents, the preferred option is for them to live with a family member or someone they know well. We call this Kinship Care.
There are lots of reasons why children may live in a kinship arrangement. It can be planned, or in response to a family crisis, or where there are concerns for their safety and welfare.
A kinship carer must be either:
- Related to the child (through blood, half blood, marriage, or civil partnership), or
- A family friend who already has a relationship with the child
Kinship carers have an important role in providing a loving, secure and stable home where the child can develop in a safe and supportive environment. They need to be able to meet the child’s needs and provide nurturing care throughout their childhood.
Types of Kinship Care
Kinship care includes:
Formal kinship care
Formal kinship care is where a child who is 'Looked After' has been placed with a kinship carer by the council. This may be after a Children's Hearing or a court order.
‘Looked After’ is the legal term for children who are in the care of the council.
Moray Council has legal responsibilities for the looked after child and for supporting the kinship carer.
Informal kinship care
Informal kinship is sometimes called a family arrangement and is where a child lives with family or friends without the active involvement of the social work service. Many informal care arrangements will not be known to the council.
Social work may have involvement in some informal kinship care arrangements under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.
Shared Care
A birth parent may live with their child and their extended family in the same house or enter a ‘shared care’ arrangement with relatives. This is not considered kinship care. The parent still has legal responsibility for the child and as a parent can access their own support. This applies even when recommended by social work as part of a child or young person’s plan.
Our Team
Moray Council’s Kinship Team sits alongside the Adoption and Fostering Service.
We’re a small, friendly and responsive team based in Rose Cottage, Greyfriar’s Street, Elgin, with a team manager, senior social worker, two social workers and a family support worker.
We support kinship carers and their families who are raising children who are looked after and placed with kinship carers by Moray Council.
Please contact us if you would like to talk about anything to do with kinship care and the support we can offer.
We’re available Monday to Friday from 8.45am to 5pm. You can call or email us and we will be happy to answer any kinship related queries.
Phone – 01343 563568
Email – kinship.care@moray.gov.uk
Follow us on Facebook- www.facebook.com/KinshipCareMoray