Kinship care

Kinship care is the care provided by relatives or a member of a child's social network when a child cannot live with their parents.

Aboriginal kinship care

Aboriginal kinship care is care provided by relatives or friends to an Aboriginal child who cannot live with their parents, where Aboriginal family and community and Aboriginal culture are valued as central to the child’s safety, stability and development.

Statutory kinship care

Statutory kinship placements occur when a Child Protection intervention has occurred and a decision has been made to place a child with relatives or a significant friend. It may also involve an order made by the Children's Court.

Private, informal or non-statutory kinship care

Private, informal or non-statutory kinship care are terms that may be used to describe arrangements where children are cared for by relatives without any Child Protection intervention.

Kinship care services

The Department of Human Services funds 26 metropolitan and regionally based kinship care services to improve the support available for children growing up in kinship care. These community-based kinship care services provide a range of cultural and support services for children in kinship care and their families close to where they live.

These include:

• Information and advice – available to all kinship carers
• Family support services – available to all kinship carers
• Intensive support services – for the most vulnerable children placed in kinship care as a result of child protection involvement.

Information about kinship care

To learn more about kinship care or to find your local Victorian kinship care service provider, visit the Victorian Department of Human Services - Kinship Care.

Training and support for kinship carers and staff

Free training, information and support sessions for kinship carers and staff are being delivered around Victoria and are tailored specifically to kinship care.

These sessions include:

• therapeutic approaches to care
• managing complex family dynamics
• attachment, grief and trauma
• intergenerational trauma
• understanding the child protection system
• positive parenting
• self-care.

For more information please contact your local kinship care service provider.

Where to get help

• Victorian Department of Human Services Tel. 1300 650 172
• Kinship Carers Victoria Tel. (03) 9372 2422

Things to remember

• Aboriginal kinship care is care provided by relatives or friends to an Aboriginal child who cannot live with their parents.
• Statutory kinship occurs when a Child Protection intervention has occurred and a decision has been made to place a child with relatives or a significant friend.
• Private, informal or non-statutory kinship care is where children are cared for by relatives without any Child Protection intervention.
• The Department of Human Services funds kinship care services to improve the support available for children growing up in kinship care.