Kinship Care Week 2024

This year’s theme for Kinship Care Week is #ThisIsKinshipCare in recognition of the happy memories, challenges, and unique stories of each and every kinship family. We want everyone to understand who and what a kinship carer is – and to celebrate the wonderful contributions that they are making for children around the world.   

Across England and Wales there are over 164,000 children living with grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, and other relatives or friends, in kinship care. Research shows that despite kinship care providing better outcomes than other forms of non-parental care, it is too often undervalued and under-supported. Kinship families struggle to access the practical, emotional and financial support they need. 

What does it mean to welcome children into your home as a kinship carer?

This #KinshipCareweek, we asked our kinship carers’ panel and this is what they told us…

What does kinship care mean to you? We’d love to hear from you…https://t.co/GBg6u2y1Ls#ThisIsKinshipCare pic.twitter.com/Z8f8cSKl61

— Family Rights Group (@FamilyRightsGp) October 7, 2024

An opportunity to transform kinship care support in legislation  

Family Rights Group is calling on the Government to transform the lives of children who cannot live at home with their parents by putting kinship care provisions in new primary legislation. With record numbers of looked-after children, it is time to build a child welfare system which fairly supports more children to live with relatives and close family friends. It is time to #ActForKinshipCare 

We are proposing four transformative measures to be included in the upcoming Children’s Wellbeing Bill and Employment Rights Bill.  

For the Children’s Wellbeing Bill to include:

1. A statutory definition of kinship care. To improve recognition and understanding of kinship care in all its forms and establish the foundation for an effective support system. Take a look at our #TimetoDefine campaign for more information on what this could look like.
2. A duty on local authorities to develop and publish a local offer for kinship families, setting out how they will support kinship families.
3. Introducing a legal right for families to be offered a family group conference before social workers consider going to court to remove their children. To allow families to take a lead in finding safe solutions, including identifying potential kinship carers.

For the Employment Rights Bill to include:

1. A right to paid employment leave, akin to adoption leave, to support kinship carers to remain in work while giving them time to settle children into their new home.

A Call to Action

The Children’s Wellbeing Bill and Employment Rights legislation are expected to be published in the Autumn. Family Rights Group is inviting politicians, families and the sector to ensure this opportunity is not missed by advocating for and sharing our #ActForKinshipCare campaign. Together we can make sure that kinship carers get the support they deserve and need in law and so that more children can thrive within their family network.

How to support kinship carers during Kinship Care Week

• Start a conversation with a friend, family member or co-worker about kinship care. Maybe they or someone they know was raised in kinship care but never realised – this is a common occurrence!
• Share your own stories on social media of what kinship care looks like to you and others you know in your life.
• Hold a kinship care support group meeting during #KinshipCareWeek.
• Set up a new kinship care support group or invite new carers to your kinship support group.
• Let people know its #KinshipCareWeek on your social media channels and ask them to do one thing to support kinship carers.
• Share information about local kinship carer support services on social media, in local libraries, local authority websites and newsletters, and local media.
• Share information about Kinship Care Week activities with your local media with a photo.
• Talk to the media about your support services and the difference they make.
• Write a piece about kinship care for a local media outlet.
• Talk to your employer about your workplace’s leave policy for kinship carers and advocate for better working conditions for those who are caring for someone else’s child.

If you work with families who are involved with children’s services in England:

• Come along to find out more about what help and support Family Right’s Groups advice service can offer kinship carers on 9th October 2024.  See more information and book a place.

If you are part of a children’s services department:

• Ensure that your local authority has an up-to-date kinship care policy that is easily accessible to families, and consider the role that kinship families have had in influencing this. Research by Family Rights Group found that over a third of local authorities do not have an up to date, accessible policy.
• Consider whether your local authority could establish a Family Group Conference service to ensure a child’s wider family can take a lead in decisions about their welfare, including putting themselves forward as potential kinship carers. If you already have a Family Group Conference service, promote this across your platforms and invite your MP along to see the wonderful difference you are making for children and families.
• Make sure prospective and current kinship carers know they can access Family Rights Group’s free, specialist advice service at www.frg.org.uk/get-help-and-advice or on 0808 801 0366 between 9.30am and 3.00pm Monday to Friday. Promote our service across your website, social media pages and download and share our advice service flyer.

• Download digital resource pack prepared by the charity, Kinship