Kinship care local offer

Specialist support

At times, children, young people, and kinship carers may need additional specialist support. Find out more about the services available.

Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund

The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) provides funding for therapeutic support for adopted children and young people, and for those living under Special Guardianship Orders or Child Arrangements Orders who were previously cared for by the Local Authority. Support can include therapeutic parenting support, individual or family therapy, and specialist assessments. The fund is available for eligible children and young people up to age 21 (or 25 if they have an Education, Health and Care Plan).

The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund is available for children up to and including the age of 21, therefore the application needs to be made, submitted, approved and therapy started before the young person's 22nd birthday.

A young person over the age of 21 is eligible for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) if they have ever had an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), regardless of them being in education or not. The level of education also does not affect their entitlement. To be eligible, the application must be approved by the ASGSF and therapy must commence before their 26th birthday. Please select 'yes' when asked if they have an ECHP in the application form, regardless of whether the plan is current.

Families cannot apply directly to the fund. Instead, they can request an assessment of support needs from the Kinship Team by emailing sgosupport@cumbria.gov.uk.

The Kinship Team will then make a referral to the Multi-Agency Children’s Hub (MACH), where a Support and Protect Social Worker will be allocated to complete the assessment of support needs.

If therapeutic support is recommended following the assessment, the local authority or relevant agency will submit an application to the fund on the family’s behalf.
More information is available on the government website: 

Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (GOV.UK)

Neurodiversity

ADHD North West – South Cumbria 

ADHD North West provides support and training for families, offering free, personalised services to improve wellbeing, build confidence, strengthen mental health, reduce isolation, and increase understanding of ADHD and related conditions.

ADHD North West

Autus Cumbria - South West Cumbria 

Autus Cumbria supports autistic people by offering social opportunities, support, training and advocacy.

The organisation offers:

  • social activities and groups for adults
  • support for autistic adults who are looking for employment 
  • support and advice for parents/carers
  • responsive communication sessions
  • home consultations and one-to-one sessions
  • autism talks, training and workshops
  • support for autistic children (aged 7-17) by offering home consultations and one-to-one sessions to support them and their parents/carers
  • responsive communication sessions for young people and their parents/carers to help people communicate without spoken language

More information is available at: 

Autus Cumbria

Neurodiversity and Emotional Wellbeing Service - Eden 

Kinship families in the Penrith area can access the Neurodiversity and Emotional Wellbeing Service through Cumberland Family Hubs.

This service is being piloted for an initial 12-month period from November 2025 across the Cumberland and Eden areas. It has been developed in partnership with SENDAC, the statutory parent/carer forum for Cumbria.

SEND partnership drop-in

An informal drop in for parents and carers of children with special educational needs and disabilities.  The Family hub team will provide activities and crafts for families attending with children.

The SEND Team, Children with Disabilities Team, SEND IAS, SEND Engagement & Development Officer, Adult services transition team and ADHD North West, Family Action and the Autism Pathway Navigator will be available to answer your questions.  

SEND Partnership drop-in sessions

Teenage brain

Learn more about your teenager’s brain by visiting your local Best Start Family Hub or accessing the online courses.

Course aims:

  • understanding your teenager's brain development in adolescence
  • reading your teenager's behaviour and understanding their feelings
  • reflecting on the importance of your relationship and how to nurture your teenager's mental health

Understanding your teenager's brain

Emotional Health and Wellbeing Team

Westmorland and Furness Emotional Health and Wellbeing Team offer advice, information and signposting, as well as training and group work to support children being supported by a social worker.

This support includes online consultations and review sessions that use the Signs of Safety and Secure Base approaches, with a focus on emotional wellbeing. Parents, carers and schools may sometimes be invited to join these sessions, depending on the child’s needs and at the discretion of the social worker.

Following a consultation, parents and carers may be signposted to group training sessions. These sessions are mainly attended by Special Guardianship Order (SGO) carers, foster carers, and residential staff.

For families who have already accessed universal emotional health and wellbeing services and need additional support, please contact the Kinship Team for advice on next steps: sgosupport@cumbria.gov.uk

Where your family is receiving support from a Children’s Services social worker, please discuss accessing this support with them.

In certain circumstances, therapeutic work may be provided by the Emotional Health and Wellbeing Team through the Adoption and special guardianship support fund.

The Emotional Health and Wellbeing Team also offer Emotion Coaching training to any kinship carers, upcoming dates are shared through the Kinship mailing list. Email sgosupport@cumbria.gov.uk for further information.

The emotional health and wellbeing directory

The directory is a list of services and resources available for supporting the emotional health and wellbeing of children and young people.

Emotional health and wellbeing directory

SPACE - Support and Protect Against Child Exploitation

Where you, or a professional supporting the child, are worried that they may be at risk of exploitation, a checklist can be completed by a professional working with your family, such as the child’s school. This information may be shared with Family Help, and intervention workers within the SPACE team will provide support and direct work to the child and your family.

For more information on the offer of support from the SPACE team:

Westmorland and Furness Safeguarding Children Partnership: Exploitation and missing

Healthy relationships

If you have concerns that your child is experiencing domestic abuse in a relationship, this can be very distressing, but you are not alone and support is out there.

If you or your child has a social worker from Children’s Services: They can seek advice from the Children’s Services specialist domestic abuse team. This team can offer guidance and support to you as a carer on how best to help your child, as well as support for your child to understand power and control in relationships and to put a safety plan in place.

If you do not currently have involvement with Children’s Services: You can speak to your child’s school or another professional who supports your child. They can offer advice and guidance about services available in the local community. If they are particularly concerned about your child’s safety or wellbeing because of the relationship, they can contact the Multi Agency Children’s Hub to seek additional support.

Our Best Start Family Hubs offer a ‘Real Love Rocks’ programme for young people. Real Love Rocks is an innovative education and awareness programme developed by Barnardo’s Safer Futures Trauma Services. It focuses on promoting children and young people’s rights to healthy, consensual, and safe relationships with peers, partners, family members, and within their wider community.

To find out more or access the programme, please contact or visit your local Best Start Family Hub.

Useful contacts

Victim Support (Cumbria wide)

Confidential support for children and young people affected by domestic abuse, crime, or harassment.

Telephone: 0300 3030 157 (local) or 0808 1689 111 (24/7)

Springfield (South Lakeland) 

Community based support available for men, women and children

Email: help@springfieldsupport.org

Women Community Matters (Barrow and South Lakeland)

Community based support available for men, women and children.

Telephone: 01229 311 102
Email: reception@womenscommunitymatters.org

Safety Net (Cumbria wide)

For women, men and children

Telephone: 01228 515 859

The Birchall Trust (Cumbria wide)

For women, men and children

Email: enquiries@birchalltrust.org.uk
Telephone: 01229 820 828

Life story work

If you live with family members or carers (this is called a kinship arrangement), and a social worker was involved before, they should have done something called life story work. This helps you understand your story and should have been shared with you and your parent or carer, your carer should be able to help answer questions you might have as you grow up. Sometimes, though, there may be questions they can’t answer.

You can contact sgosupport@cumbria.gov.uk for support in responding to your questions.

Supporting young people through transitions to adulthood

Families tell us that moving between children’s and adult services can be a challenging time. Whatever the need, if you are struggling during this transition or finding it difficult to navigate services, you can speak to our Kinship Team SGOsupport@cumbria.gov.uk.

Young people aged 16 to 17 remain eligible for support from Children’s Social Care where appropriate. In these circumstances, please contact the Multi-Agency Children's Hub to explore what support is available.

Multi-Agency Children's Hub

Care leaver

Some children in kinship care were previously in the care of the local authority and may be entitled to care leaver support. Care leaver status usually only applies where a child or young person was cared for by the local authority from age 14 onwards.

In the care of the Local Authority/Cared for by the local authority means a child or young person was looked after by Westmorland and Furness Council Children’s Services, for example by living with foster carers or in a children’s home, under a care order or a Section 20 agreement.

In some situations, a young person may no longer be eligible for the full care leaver offer. For example, if they leave care through a permanent arrangement such as a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) or adoption. For families caring for a child under a Special Guardianship Order (SGO), the young person may still qualify for leaving care support as a qualifying care leaver between the ages of 16 and 25. This applies if the young person was cared for by the local authority immediately before the SGO was made. If a young person has returned home, and no longer cared for by the local authority, for a period of 6 months before their 18th birthday, their care leaving status is one of a qualifying care leaver.

You can find out whether the young person you care for is eligible for care leaver support by reading the following information.

Eligible child (aged 16 to 17 years)

A young person who:

  • is still cared for by the Local Authority
  • has been in the care of the Local Authority for at least 13 weeks since aged 14
  • is still cared for by the Local Authority on or after their 16th birthday

Entitlements:

  • ongoing support from a Personal Adviser up to age 25 (aged 21 to 25 years depending on need)
  • needs assessment - to talk about what is going well for the young person and what support they may need
  • pathway plan - the young adult’s plan for the future, showing their goals and the support to help them reach them. This plan is regularly reviewed.
  • access to Westmorland and Furness care leavers local offer for relevant young people
  • social worker whilst still cared for by the Local Authority

Relevant child (aged 16 to 17 years, no longer cared for by the Local Authority) 

For example, this could include a situation where a grandmother fostered her grandchild and the care order was later ended when the young person was 16 or 17, with a Child Arrangements Order put in place, or no court order at all.

A young person who:

  • has been cared for by the Local Authority for 13 weeks since age 14, including time after age 16
  • has since left the care of the Local Authority but is still 16 or 17

Entitlements:

  • ongoing support from a Personal Adviser up to age 25 (21-25 depending on need)
  • needs assessment - to talk about what is going well for the young person and what support they may need
  • Pathway plan - the young adult’s plan for the future, showing their goals and the support to help them reach them. This plan is regularly reviewed
  • access to Westmorland and Furness care leavers local offer for relevant young people

Qualifying care leaver (Aged 16-25)

For example, this could include a situation where a grandparent fostered their grandson between the ages of 15 and 16 for less than 13 weeks, and the care order was later ended, or a Section 20 arrangement was withdrawn.

A young person who:

  • was cared for by the Local Authority on or after their 16th birthday
  • spent less than 13 weeks in the care of the Local Authority since age 14
  • does not meet the eligible/relevant/former relevant criteria

Entitlements:

  • advice and assistance from Children’s Services

For more information see the Care leavers local offer:

Westmorland and Furness Council: Care leavers local offer

Care leavers and 'Staying Put'

The Local Authority is committed to young people staying with their kinship foster carers after the age of 18 and has a ‘Staying Put’ policy. Staying Put is the name that the government has given to arrangements whereby a young person aged 18 and above, remains living with their former foster carer. The aim of Staying Put is to help young people make the transition to independence and adulthood at a pace, and within a timescale that suits them, rather than having to move when they reach the age of 18.

Planning for a Staying Put arrangement starts to take place before a young person reaches the age of 16. The young person’s social worker will meet with the carer and young person prior to the young person’s 16th birthday to explain the Staying Put policy and to discuss options. The Young Person’s Advisor from the Care Experienced Team will provide guidance and support to the young person and their carers, who will have their own social worker.

Post 18+

Young people may be eligible for support from Adult Social Care.To find out more please visit Westmorland and Furness Council.

Westmorland and Furness Council: Adult Social Care