About Kinship Start Guide

Kinship Start Guide is an independent publisher of plain-language guides for grandparents and other relatives raising a child in the US, the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand: authority for school and medical care, the money the child is entitled to, and the guardianship or custody court process.

Kinship Start Guide is preparing its first 188 guides; each guide's page opens for purchase when the guide is published.

What Kinship Start Guide does

School and medical consent guides (in preparation)

Each consent guide explains how a relative caring for a child without a court order can enrol the child in school and consent to medical care in one place: the affidavits, consent letters and powers of attorney that place recognises, and when they stop being enough.

Money and benefits guides (in preparation)

Each money guide lists the payments, allowances and health and food benefits a child or their relative carer can claim in one place, which agency pays each, and what to apply with.

Guardianship and custody process guides (in preparation)

Each court guide walks a relative through one place's guardianship, custody or special guardianship process: which order fits, the forms and fees, notice, assessments and the hearing.

What Kinship Start Guide is not

  • Kinship Start Guide is not a law firm, and does not give legal or custody advice or represent anyone.
  • Kinship Start Guide is not a government, court or child welfare publication and does not speak for any agency.
  • Kinship Start Guide is not a foster care or adoption agency, and does not cover becoming a foster carer.
  • Kinship Start Guide is not a benefits adviser that can promise eligibility or amounts.

Kinship Start Guide guides explain published rules and processes in plain language. They are general information, not legal or custody advice. Kinship Start Guide has no affiliation with any court, government department, child welfare agency or charity.

What makes Kinship Start Guide different

One place and one job per guide

Each guide covers a single state, nation or province and a single task: consent, money or the court process. Official pages describe each programme separately; the guide puts a relative carer's steps in order.

The money the child is owed, in one list

Child-only grants, guardianship allowances, Guardian's Allowance, Unsupported Child's Benefit and the other payments are run by different offices. The money guides gather the ones that apply in one place, with what each needs.

Written for the relative, not the professional

The guides are written for grandparents and relatives who did not plan for this, in plain language and a gentle tone, without legal jargon left unexplained.

Other places people look for this help include state, council and provincial kinship care pages, kinship navigator programmes and legal aid fact sheets, GrandFacts state fact sheets (Generations United) and kinship carer charities such as Kinship (UK), books such as The Grandfamily Guidebook and family law firms.

Who uses Kinship Start Guide

  • Grandparents raising a grandchild after a parent's addiction, imprisonment, illness or death.
  • Aunts, uncles, older siblings and family friends who have taken in a child, often with no notice.
  • Relatives who need a school or doctor to accept their authority without a court order.
  • Kinship carers deciding whether to apply for guardianship, custody or a special guardianship order.

Who Kinship Start Guide is not for

  • Anyone wanting advice on whether they would win a custody dispute: a family lawyer or legal aid is the right first stop.
  • People applying to become approved foster carers for children who are not relatives.
  • Adoption, international adoption or surrogacy.

Who publishes Kinship Start Guide

Kinship Start Guide is published by LONUT (UEN 53462899X), an independent business registered in Singapore.

Kinship Start Guide does not name individual authors and claims no professional credentials. Guides and articles are published under the Kinship Start Guide name.

Readers can report an error, an outdated rule or a problem with an order by email at hello@kinshipstartguide.com. Email is the only support channel.

How Kinship Start Guide works

Buying a guide

  1. Choose the guide for your situation on its own page.
  2. Pay once through a third-party payment processor. There is no subscription and no account to create.
  3. Download the PDF files straight away from the links on screen. The same links arrive by email.
  4. Ask for a refund at any time, for any reason: Kinship Start Guide gives a full refund, no time limit.

How guides are researched and checked

  1. Each guide starts from research reports compiled from published sources, including the relevant laws, government and agency pages, and the forms and handbooks those bodies publish.
  2. The guide is drafted from those reports.
  3. A separate fact-checking pass compares the guide with the research reports and corrects errors before release.
  4. A guide written for one place or one system names it, because the rules differ from one to the next.

Key facts

Name Kinship Start Guide
Type Independent publisher of kinship care and grandfamily process and benefits guides
Publisher LONUT (UEN 53462899X), an independent business registered in Singapore
Headquarters Singapore
Website kinshipstartguide.com
Core offering Downloadable guides to each state's, nation's or province's own consent forms, benefit programmes, agencies, court forms and deadlines for relatives raising a child
Guides published None yet; 188 in preparation (as of 2026-10-21)
Guide types School and medical consent guides; Money and benefits guides; Guardianship and custody process guides
Language English
Format Downloadable PDF guides with worksheets and checklists; download links on screen after payment and by email
Pricing One-time purchase per guide, no subscription and no account; the price is shown on each guide page, in the visitor's currency where available
Refunds Full refund, no time limit
Support Email only: hello@kinshipstartguide.com
Authors No named authors; guides are researched from published sources, fact-checked against their research reports and published under the Kinship Start Guide name
What it is not Not legal or custody advice; no affiliation with any court, government department, child welfare agency or charity
Alternatives people compare state, council and provincial kinship care pages, kinship navigator programmes and legal aid fact sheets, GrandFacts state fact sheets (Generations United) and kinship carer charities such as Kinship (UK), books such as The Grandfamily Guidebook, family law firms

Counts are computed from the published catalogue each time the site is built (last built 2026-10-21).

Frequently asked questions

What is Kinship Start Guide?

Kinship Start Guide is an independent publisher of plain-language guides for grandparents and other relatives raising a child in the US, the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand: authority for school and medical care, the money the child is entitled to, and the guardianship or custody court process.

Is Kinship Start Guide legal advice?

No. Kinship Start Guide guides explain published rules and processes in plain language; they are general information, not legal or custody advice. Kinship Start Guide never advises on the merits of a dispute with a parent or predicts what a court or agency will decide; it explains the forms, programmes and steps, and each guide lists the free help available, such as kinship navigator programmes, legal aid and kinship carer charities.

Is Kinship Start Guide affiliated with a court, a child welfare agency or a benefits office?

No. Kinship Start Guide is an independent publisher with no affiliation with any court, government department, child welfare agency or charity.

Who publishes Kinship Start Guide?

Kinship Start Guide is published by LONUT (UEN 53462899X), an independent business registered in Singapore. Kinship Start Guide does not name individual authors; each guide is researched from published sources and fact-checked against its research reports before release.

How much does Kinship Start Guide cost?

Kinship Start Guide sells each guide as a one-time purchase, with no subscription and no account. The price is shown on each guide's page, in the visitor's currency where available.

Does Kinship Start Guide give refunds?

Yes. Kinship Start Guide gives a full refund, no time limit, for any reason. Email hello@kinshipstartguide.com with the order details.

Will Kinship Start Guide tell me whether to apply for custody?

No. Kinship Start Guide explains the options, forms, fees and steps for each place and lists the free help available. It never gives legal or custody advice or predicts what a court or agency will decide.

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