Minimum Kinship Care Standards Northern Ireland (2019)

The Looked After Children Minimum Kinship Care Standards Northern Ireland (2019) set out what HSC Trusts must provide to kinship foster carers, but a critical distinction buried in the document catches many families off guard: these standards do not apply to carers holding a private Residence Order.

Who the Standards Cover

The 2019 Standards apply to formal kinship foster care — situations where a child has been placed with a relative by an HSC Trust under a Care Order or Article 21 accommodation. In these arrangements, the child is classified as a Looked After Child, and the Trust has statutory responsibilities for their welfare.

The Standards require each Trust to provide the kinship foster carer with:

• A written support plan
• Regular supervisory visits
• The Model Scheme foster allowance (not means-tested)

These are mandatory obligations. If a Trust is not meeting them, the carer can raise a formal complaint through the Trust's complaints procedure.

Why Private Residence Order Carers Are Excluded

When a relative applies for and secures a Residence Order under Article 8 of the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995, the child is not classified as Looked After. The carer has shared Parental Responsibility and manages the child's care independently, without ongoing Trust supervision. This gives the carer more day-to-day autonomy, but it also means the 2019 Standards do not apply.

The practical consequence is significant: Residence Order carers receive no automatic entitlement to the Model Scheme foster allowance or mandatory support plan. Financial support shifts to the discretionary Residence Order Allowance — assessed and means-tested by the Trust, with no guarantee of payment.

The Department of Health issued the Standards alongside a stated principle that no child should be forced into formal state care solely to enable a relative to access financial support. In practice, however, the gap between mandatory foster care provisions and discretionary Residence Order support creates exactly that pressure.

What This Means If You Are Considering Your Options

If the Trust has placed the child with you and you are currently an approved kinship foster carer, you fall under the 2019 Standards. Before you apply for a Residence Order, understand what you stand to lose: the mandatory allowance and support plan under those Standards stop applying. You gain Parental Responsibility and independence, but the financial and support trade-off is real.

If you already have a Residence Order and are receiving no support from the Trust, the 2019 Standards do not give you leverage — but the Department of Health's regional guidance on Residence Order Allowances does. Trusts are expected to assess applications fairly, and refusals can be challenged through the Trust's complaints procedure and, if necessary, the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman.

The Department of Health's Role

The Department of Health (DoH NI) sets policy for children's social care across Northern Ireland. It issued the 2019 Standards, sets the Model Scheme foster allowance rates annually, and issues regional guidance that Trusts are expected to follow when assessing Residence Order Allowance applications. The DoH does not handle individual cases — that is the Trusts' responsibility — but its guidance shapes how Trusts exercise their discretion.

Our Kinship Care in Northern Ireland guide explains both tracks in detail — what you are entitled to under the 2019 Standards if you are a kinship foster carer, and how to apply for and challenge Residence Order Allowance decisions if you hold a private order.

See more Northern Ireland guides →