From Form C to Form K: the new standard for assessment
CoramBAAF is excited to publish the new Kinship Care Assessment (Form K) England. The change in name from Form C to Form K reflects the national policy reform agenda, and a growing awareness of the complexity and importance of kinship care when children can’t remain at home with their parents.
The new assessment amplifies the voice of the child and focuses on the relationship between them and the prospective kinship carer, drawing out strengths and highlighting support needs. It enables a relationship-based and reflective assessment process that gathers and analyses the information required to inform decisions about a child’s future care.
We have consulted with our members through surveys, a working party and focus groups, as well as consulted with kinship carers, parents, researchers and other stakeholders to inform the design of Form K. With the help of members, we have piloted Form K in 10 local authorities and received comprehensive feedback that shaped the final version.
The form can be used for both approval of kinship foster carers and to make recommendations for special guardianship orders; it is compliant with relevant law, regulations and statutory guidance. It includes an integral support plan and detailed guidance, including on how and when to use Form K if you are thinking of a child moving to a kinship carer overseas.
Included with Form K:
- Form K (Kinship Care Assessment England) (2025)
- Form K Support Plan (Kinship Care Assessment England – Support Plan) (2025)
- Form K (Kinship Care Assessment England) (2025) & Support Plan Guidance notes
- Form K (Kinship Care Assessment England) (2025) Appendix 1 – Legal compliance
- Form K (Kinship Care Assessment England) (2025) Appendix 2 – Overseas questions and guidance
- Form K (Kinship Care Assessment England) (2025) Prospective kinship carer information sheet
- Form K (Kinship Care Assessment England) (2025) Parent information sheet
A PDF version of both Form K and Form K Support Plan will also be available. The PDF version should be shared with prospective kinship carers at the start of the assessment process. Information should also be shared with them about what can be expected during the assessment process.
If your organisation holds a CoramBAAF Forms Licence for Form K, this will also give you access to other CoramBAAF forms, including the checks and references resources. Please note, if you currently hold a licence to access Form C your licence access will automatically include Form K.
Which form should I use?
If your local authority is currently using CoramBAAF’s Form C, please note that this form will no longer be licenced following publication of Form K. At point of publication of Form K (3 February), if you are midway through an assessment using Form C, you may complete the assessment using Form C, but all new assessments should be completed using Form K.
Our publicationUndertaking a connected person/family and friends assessment continues to provide advice and information about completion of kinship assessments, however a revised and updated version will be published in 2025 called Undertaking a kinship assessment: a guide to collecting and analysing information for Form K.
What is different about Form K?
For more information about Form K and the assessment process, join our free introductory webinars available to licence holders and members on Wednesday 12 February between 9 – 9.55am and Thursday 13 February 12pm – 12.55pm.
The webinar will cover:
- Key principles underpinning Form K
- Overview of the development work that informed the design of Form K
- Structure of Form K
- Introduction on how to use Form K and accompanying guidance
How to complete a kinship care assessment
CoramBAAF also offers training on completing kinship assessments that references Form K. The two-day course - with places available for our March course, and more to be added to our programme soon - encourages you to reflect on personal and professional values and thresholds, consider the legal and policy context, and explore what a good kinship assessment looks like.
The course provides the opportunity to consider assessment tools to gather and analyse the key information to ensure the child’s voice is amplified, and the relationships between the child and the carer is prioritised. The course will also increase understanding of the need for comprehensive support planning, including what support may be needed to maintain connections between the child and important people in their life. More information, including additional resources and training opportunities, can be found here.
Do you have any questions? We recommend you take a look at our ’Frequently asked questions’. If you can’t find your answer, and your question is a practical one about forms access and/or licence agreements, please contact licences@corambaaf.org.uk.
If you have a specific question about a practice matter that you need support with, you can contact our Member Advice Line.
Ann Horne, Kinship Consultant, CoramBAAF.
Clare Seth, Kinship Consultant, CoramBAAF