Regulation 24 Placements: Immediate Kinship Care With Connected Persons
When a child cannot stay at home safely, a local authority in England may place them with a relative, friend or other person connected to the child under Regulation 24 of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010. This route allows an immediate placement with someone the child already knows, even though that person is not yet an approved foster carer. The arrangement avoids sending the child to an unfamiliar foster parent while the full assessment process catches up.
This guide covers the legal framework, timescales, financial entitlements and practical steps that kinship carers need to know about regulation 24 placements.
By: Tom Atkinson, Client Support Team Member
Legally reviewed by: Iblal Iqbal, Director, Kabir Family Law
Last reviewed: 2nd September 2026
Key Takeaways
- Regulation 24 of the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010 allows a local authority to place a looked after child with a relative, friend or other connected person who is not yet an approved foster carer.
- Temporary approval can last for up to 16 weeks, with a possible 8-week extension (and in certain circumstances up to 24 weeks total). A full fostering assessment must be completed within that period.
- A Regulation 24 placement makes the connected person a temporary foster carer for that specific child, with entitlement to fostering allowances and support from the responsible authority.
- These placements are usually used in urgent situations to avoid the child going to an unknown foster carer, where it is safe to place with family or friends.
- Carers should seek early legal assistance from a family law specialist if there are court proceedings, or if they are being encouraged to take a child under a child arrangements order or special guardianship instead of as a foster carer.
What Is A Regulation 24 Placement?
A Regulation 24 placement is a temporary emergency arrangement for children’s care. It sits within the care planning placement and case review framework established under the 2010 Regulations. The regulation allows a responsible authority to approve a connected person as a temporary foster carer for a specific child, so the child can move in immediately while the local authority considers the child’s future needs through the full fostering assessment process.
Once a child is placed this way, they become a looked after child. The connected person is temporarily approved as a foster carer, meaning they have a recognised legal status under the fostering regulations. This is not an informal family arrangement; it carries rights, responsibilities and oversight from children’s services.
In Wales, similar (but separate) provisions exist under the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (Wales) Regulations 2015. The legal detail differs, so carers in Wales should check the Welsh regulations specifically.
A regulation 24 placement might involve a grandparent, an aunt, or a close family friend stepping in at short notice. The common thread is that the carer already has an existing relationship with the child and is stepping into a kinship care arrangement.
Who Counts As A “Connected Person” Or Kinship Carer?
Connected persons is the legal term used by the local authority for relatives, friends and other persons with a prior relationship to the child. A connected person is typically a relative or family friend who is not yet an approved foster carer.
Common examples include:
- Grandparent
- Aunt or uncle
- Older sibling (over 18)
- Adult cousin
- Godparent or close family friend
- A known neighbour who has played a regular caring role
A kinship carer under Regulation 24 becomes a temporary foster carer if the child is looked after. This is different from someone caring for a child informally without the child being in care. The local authority must be satisfied there is an existing connection and that this person can provide safe and suitable care in an immediate placement.
Consider a scenario: police use protection powers to remove two children from their parents late on a Friday evening. The children’s grandmother lives nearby and has regularly cared for them at weekends. Children’s services contact her, carry out initial checks, and decide whether such a placement is safe and appropriate before placing the children with her under Regulation 24 that same night. She becomes their temporary foster carer from that moment.
When And Why Local Authorities Use Regulation 24
Regulation 24 is designed for urgent situations where placing a child with a known adult is safer and less disruptive than sending them to an unknown foster parent. Children placed under Regulation 24 usually have care orders or are subject to emergency protection measures.
Typical triggers include, or run alongside, situations where parents are seeking emergency child custody orders from the Family Court:
- Emergency child protection intervention
- Police protection powers being exercised or the local authority supporting an application for an emergency residence order
- An urgent care planning decision that the child cannot remain at home
- Breakdown of existing living arrangements where risk to the child is immediate
The local authority must be satisfied that the immediate placement with the connected person is the most appropriate placement available and serves the child’s welfare. Social workers weigh factors including keeping sibling groups together, continuity in schooling, cultural and religious background, and the child’s own wishes (where the child is old enough to express them). The outcome of that assessment determines whether the child goes to a connected person or a standard local authority foster carer.
The Viability Assessment And Temporary Foster Carer Approval
Before any Regulation 24 placement goes ahead, a viability assessment must be completed. This is a rapid assessment by the child’s social worker to decide whether an immediate placement can safely proceed.
The assessment covers:
- The proposed accommodation: space, safety, suitability
- The connected person’s suitability and ability to meet the child’s physical, emotional and developmental needs
- Other persons over 18 in the household, including DBS and police checks
- Any risk factors such as criminal history, substance misuse or safeguarding concerns
- The child’s views, where appropriate
Prior to placement, the social worker’s assessment and supporting report must record the basis on which temporary approval is given, alongside foundational checks completed to ensure suitability and safeguarding of the child. A senior manager or Nominated Officer must formally authorise the temporary placement, in accordance with local policy. This decision-maker is often the Head of Service or equivalent within children’s services.
The temporary approval is specific to the named child (or siblings). It does not make the carer a generally approved foster carer for other children. Regular social work monitoring must occur during the temporary placement, with subsequent visits by the supervising social worker to assess how the placement is progressing.
Timescales: 16 Weeks, 8-Week Extension And What Happens Next
Temporary placements under Regulation 24 can last up to 16 weeks from the date the child moves in. During this period, temporary foster carers are assessed through the full fostering process, and the Fostering Panel reviews reports on temporary foster carers within 16 weeks.
If the full assessment is not completed within 16 weeks, the local authority can extend temporary approval for a further period of up to 8 weeks under Regulation 25 of the same 2010 Regulations. This extension must be recorded and justified in the care planning documents. During COVID-19, amendments allowed temporary approval to last up to 24 weeks in certain circumstances, though the standard framework remains 16 plus 8.
At the end of the assessment period, several outcomes are possible, sometimes including parallel decisions in court proceedings about whether to make a care or placement order for adoption:
- Full approval as a foster carer under fostering regulations (becoming an approved foster carer for that child)
- A decision that the child should move to another placement
- A move towards a different legal order, such as a child arrangements order or special guardianship
If the temporary approval expires without extension or full approval, the placement becomes unregulated. The responsible authority must not allow the child to remain in that position and should identify alternative accommodation.
Rights, Support And Allowances For Regulation 24 Foster Carers
Once a child is placed under Regulation 24, the connected person is treated as a foster carer for that child. Kinship foster carers receive paid foster care allowances at the same basic rate as other local authority foster parent placements. Connected carers can receive financial support under care orders as part of the looked after child framework.
Typical support includes:
- Fostering allowances (not means-tested during the placement)
- Help with equipment and clothing for the child
- Access to foster carer training
- Supervision by a supervising social worker
- Inclusion in care planning and case review meetings
Carers should receive a copy of the child’s care plan, including information about the child’s health, education and contact arrangements with parents and siblings. If a local authority foster carer is paid less than unrelated foster carers for a similar placement, they can challenge this through the local authority’s complaints or review procedures.
Regulation 24 Placements, Court Proceedings And Long-Term Options
Many Regulation 24 placements run alongside court proceedings under the Children Act 1989. These proceedings are usually issued in the Family Court after urgent children’s services involvement.
Connected carers should be involved in proceedings as fully as possible. They may be asked to provide information, attend meetings, and in some cases apply to be joined to the court case with legal assistance from a family law specialist. In some situations, the court may also consider making a short-term Family Assistance Order to support contact and cooperation. Legal aid may be available for connected carers in some cases, depending on the nature of the proceedings and means testing.
Longer-term legal options after a Regulation 24 placement include:
- Remaining as an approved foster carer under a final care order: the child stays looked after, the local authority retains primary responsibility, and the carer continues to receive allowances unless and until the court later decides to discharge the care order
- Applying for a child arrangements order (section 8, Children Act 1989): parental responsibility is shared but the child is no longer looked after; financial support is largely discretionary
- Applying for a special guardianship order (section 14A, Children Act 1989): the special guardian holds enhanced parental responsibility with greater day-to-day autonomy; the child is no longer looked after
Each route carries different implications for oversight, support and financial entitlements.
Comparing Regulation 24 Foster Care With Child Arrangements And Special Guardianship
Local authorities sometimes encourage a family member to take a child under a child arrangements order or special guardianship order rather than remain as a local authority foster carer. Each route has different consequences.
- A child arrangements order sets out who the child lives with. It usually gives the carer parental responsibility alongside the parents. The child is not looked after by the local authority, and financial support is discretionary and often means-tested.
- A special guardianship order gives the special guardian parental responsibility that can be exercised without needing the parents’ agreement on most daily decisions. Financial support for special guardianship orders is discretionary and assessed under the local authority’s support scheme. The child is not looked after.
- Under foster care (whether via Regulation 24 temporary approval or full approval), the child remains looked after. The local authority retains ongoing duties for care planning, placement reviews and support. Fostering allowances are paid as of right under the local authority’s fostering scheme, not on a means-tested basis.
Carers who are uncertain about which route is consistent with the child’s welfare should seek advice from a family law specialist before agreeing to any particular legal order.
Practical Tips for Foster Carers And Kinship Carers
If children’s services have asked you to take a child at short notice, these steps can protect both you and the child:
- Ask the social worker to confirm in writing whether the child is a looked after child and whether the arrangement is a Regulation 24 foster placement or an informal family arrangement
- Request a copy of the written temporary approval, the child’s care plan, and details of allowances and support before or immediately after the child moves in
- Keep records of all conversations, emails and decisions about the placement, care planning and case review meetings; these records are relevant if disputes arise over your status or financial support
- Seek early, independent legal assistance from a family law specialist experienced in kinship care, especially where there are active court proceedings or pressure to accept a different legal order
- If full approval is not granted, the child may need to be moved to another care arrangement; understanding this outcome in advance allows you to prepare and seek advice in good time
According to the Department for Education’s 2024 data, 13,660 children were placed with relatives or friends, making up 24% of all foster placements in England. You are not alone in this process.
Frequently Asked Questions About Regulation 24 Placements
Is a Regulation 24 carer an approved foster carer?
Not immediately. A Regulation 24 carer is temporarily approved as a foster carer for a specific child while a full fostering assessment is undertaken. Once that assessment is completed and the Fostering Panel recommends approval, the carer becomes an approved foster carer. The temporary approval alone does not grant wider foster carer status for other children.
How long can a child stay in the placement?
The initial temporary approval lasts up to 16 weeks from the date of placement. The local authority can extend this for a further period of up to 8 weeks if the full assessment is not finished, provided this extension is properly recorded. In certain circumstances (such as those arising during the COVID-19 pandemic), temporary approval could last up to 24 weeks in total.
Do Regulation 24 foster carers receive the same allowances as other foster carers?
In principle, yes. Regulation 24 foster carers should receive fostering allowances equivalent to those paid to unrelated foster carers for the same type of placement. These are not means-tested. If a carer is paid less, they can challenge this through the local authority’s complaints or review procedures.
Can the placement lead to a special guardianship or child arrangements order?
Yes. Many such placements serve as the starting point while the local authority and court assess the best long-term outcome for the child. The carer may go on to become a fully approved foster carer, or apply for a special guardianship or child arrangements order, depending on the circumstances and what promotes the child’s welfare.
What happens if the assessment is negative or the placement breaks down?
If the full assessment concludes the connected person’s suitability is not established, or if the placement breaks down for other reasons, the local authority must identify an alternative placement for the child and update the care planning documents. The carer can seek advice about challenging decisions or participating in any ongoing court proceedings through a family law specialist.
Contact Kabir Family Law To Ensure You Are Aware Of Your Rights
Contact Kabir Family Law today on 0330 094 5880 to arrange your free consultation or book a time that suits you. Our family law specialists are at hand to guide you through the complete process from informal discussions, mediation and right through to court proceedings. Our family lawyers work around the clock and will be able to provide you with the advice and you need at a time to suit your needs.
