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New research, commissioned by a cross-party Taskforce of MPs and conducted by the charity Family Rights Group, reveals that the Coronavirus pandemic is increasing the pressure on already vulnerable kinship care families.
There are around 200,000 children in the UK who are not living with their parents but are being raised by relatives, such as grandparents, or friends, known as kinship carers. Many of these carers are older and, along with the children they are raising, are more likely to be suffering from chronic health conditions or special needs than the wider population. The children have often suffered tragedy or trauma.
Many kinship carers have to give up work to care for the kinship children, so they are more likely to be poorer and already in, or at greater risk of, isolation than the wider population.
A new survey, published today, of more than 650 kinship carers across the UK raising over 1000 kinship children, has revealed many are struggling to deal with the additional hardship caused by the crisis and need extra support.
Key findings:
The Parliamentary Taskforce on Kinship Care – a cross party group of MPs and Peers working to improve support for kinship carers – has now written to the Prime Minister to highlight the findings and ask Government to step up to support these families.
They are calling for some immediate steps to relieve the pressure on families and help ensure that placements do not break down, meaning more children would end up in the care system.
Their asks include:
“Many kinship care families were already facing difficulties before this crisis, and our research shows that the pandemic has made it worse for the most vulnerable. The Government has put some welcome measures in place to support some families, but many kinship carers are not eligible and we think ministers need to go further.
These are carers who have stepped up to do the right thing for their child relatives, helping safely keep children in their family and friend networks and out of the care system. They already receive too little recognition for the amazing work they do and the sacrifices they make, and they risk falling through the cracks once again. We urge the Prime Minister to step up and help protect them.”
“Many of the responses to the kinship care survey were heart-breaking. Family and friends, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, brother and sisters are doing their best by the kinship children, in extremely adverse circumstances. Many of the kinship carers have been plunged into poverty, having to give up work or reduce their hours in order to take on the children. But the crisis has caused even greater financial hardship as shopping and utility bills rise and in many cases, household income has fallen further. Some of the kinship carers describe being left abandoned with their worries, including fears of what should happen to the child if they fell ill.
The recommendations set out in the report are straightforward actions that the Government could take now to help relieve some of the significant stress on kinship care household.
Kinship carers are there for the children. Now the government needs to be there for them.”
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