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.
Content Partner
This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:
DHHS - Child protection
Last updated:
February 2014
Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional. The information and materials contained on this website are not intended to constitute a comprehensive guide concerning all aspects of the therapy, product or treatment described on the website. All users are urged to always seek advice from a registered health care professional for diagnosis and answers to their medical questions and to ascertain whether the particular therapy, service, product or treatment described on the website is suitable in their circumstances. The State of Victoria and the Department of Health & Human Services shall not bear any liability for reliance by any user on the materials contained on this website.