The Virtual School: children in kinship care

Kinship care is an arrangement where a child lives full-time (or most of the time) with a friend or family member instead of their parents. It is predicted that there are more than 180,000 children living in kinship care in the UK. Although kinship care can provide a stable, positive home environment for children, it is important to remember that there is still likely to be an underlying trauma that professionals need to be sensitive to. You can find more information on the Kinship website.
 

The role of the Virtual School for children in kinship care

Our duty for children in kinship care is a further extension of our duty to children with a social worker, starting in September 2024. It is therefore a strategic and oversight area of responsibility, with advice and guidance available on request. You can request more personalised advice by emailing virtualschool@westberks.gov.uk.

However, some children in kinship care arrangements may also come under our core duty (if their kinship carers are their foster carer and our council has parental responsibility). If this is the case, they are classed as a child in care and will be on our core Virtual School caseload. Some children may also come under our duty for Previously Looked After Children if their arrangement has been formalised by a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) or Child Arrangements Order (CAO) after spending a period of time as a child in care.