HSC Trust Gateway Teams and Kinship Care in Northern Ireland

If you are raising a relative's child in Northern Ireland and need a social worker's involvement — whether for a Residence Order Allowance, an IC1 NI form, or a child protection concern — the first point of contact is your local HSC Trust gateway team. Northern Ireland has five Trusts, each covering a defined geographic area, and the gateway team is the single front door for children's services in each one.

What the Gateway Team Does

The gateway team receives all initial referrals for children's services within the Trust area. When a kinship carer contacts the gateway, a duty social worker triages the referral and decides whether the case needs a full assessment, an immediate child protection response, or signposting to another service.

For kinship carers specifically, the gateway team is relevant in several situations:

• You need social-work verification of an informal caring arrangement; a registered social worker completes Form IC1 NI when that verification is needed
• You are applying for a Residence Order and the court has directed an Article 4 welfare report
• You want to request a Residence Order Allowance from the Trust
• You have a child protection concern about the child in your care
• A child has been placed with you by the Trust and you need to confirm your status as a kinship foster carer

The Five HSC Trusts and Their Gateway Numbers

Belfast HSC Trust Covers Belfast city. Gateway team: 028 9050 7000

Northern HSC Trust Covers Antrim, Ballymena, Coleraine, Magherafelt, Cookstown and surrounding areas. Gateway team: 0300 1234 333

South Eastern HSC Trust Covers Lisburn, Downpatrick, Newtownards and the Down/Lisburn area. Gateway team: 0300 1000 300

Southern HSC Trust Covers Armagh, Craigavon, Newry, Dungannon and Banbridge. Gateway team: 0800 7837 741

Western HSC Trust Covers Derry/Londonderry, Omagh, Enniskillen, Strabane and Fermanagh. Gateway team: 028 7131 4220

If you are unsure which Trust area you fall under, the child's home address determines it. The Trust boundaries are geographic, not based on GP registration or school location.

Out-of-Hours Emergencies

All five Trusts share one Regional Emergency Social Work Service (RESWS) for evenings, weekends and bank holidays: 028 9504 9999. This covers child protection emergencies only — it cannot process allowance applications or IC1 NI forms.

How a Social Worker Gets Involved in Kinship Cases

In a private Residence Order application, a social worker's involvement is not automatic. The court may direct the Trust to prepare an Article 4 welfare report, which involves home visits, interviews with the carer and birth parents, and an assessment of the child's wishes. But many straightforward consent cases proceed without a welfare report.

If you are caring informally and need the IC1 NI form completed, contact the gateway team and ask for a registered social worker to verify the arrangement. The form documents an informal caring arrangement for DfC; since 6 April 2026, the two-child-limit exception is no longer needed to claim the Universal Credit child element.

For Residence Order Allowance requests, the gateway team routes your enquiry to the Trust's kinship or Looked After Children finance team. Each Trust handles allowance applications slightly differently, and the rates and means-testing criteria can vary.

What to Prepare Before Calling

Have the child's full name, date of birth, and home address ready. If you already have any court orders, Trust correspondence, or benefit reference numbers, keep those to hand. The gateway team will ask about the nature of the referral and the child's current living situation.

Our Kinship Care in Northern Ireland guide covers the full Trust interaction process — from initial gateway contact through to Residence Order Allowance applications and what to do if a Trust refuses your claim.

See more Northern Ireland guides →