What should a school do when a child has just moved into kinship care?
A simple handoff can protect the child's privacy while making sure the school knows who provides care, who may make decisions and what support the student needs now.
Part of our For Professionals resource series. See the main For Professionals guide for the wider topic and related resources. Following a guided route? Return to the School & health route.
Information reviewed September 2026. Policies and service processes can change, so use the linked official source when a current rule matters.
When a child changes homes, school should not become another system the family has to re-explain from scratch.
Confirm who is providing day-to-day care, who may pick the child up, who should receive routine communication and what legal documentation the school requires for specific decisions.
Keep the first school conversation practical.
- Where is the child sleeping and how are they getting to school?
- Who should the school call first?
- Who may pick the child up?
- What authority documents are available or still being clarified?
- Are there safety or parent-contact instructions the school needs to follow?
- What has changed for the child's routine, attendance, transportation or learning?
Do not make enrolment depend on telling the whole family story.
The school needs the information required to educate and protect the student. It generally does not need every detail of parental addiction, court conflict, mental illness or Child Protection history simply because the family arrangement is unusual.
Know the Student Well-being Team referral route.
Every PEI public school is served by a Student Well-being Team. Referrals can include relevant family circumstances and existing supports so the team can identify the appropriate response, and the current online referral page says families can expect contact within 7 to 10 business days.
Choose one reliable school contact.
A principal, counsellor, teacher or other designated staff member can help prevent the caregiver from repeating the same family explanation to transportation, attendance, classroom and support staff.
Review the arrangement when the caregiving situation changes.
If the child reunifies with a parent, moves to another caregiver or a court order changes, update emergency contacts, pickup permissions, communication and any authority documentation rather than assuming the old school record remains correct.
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