APPG’s Activities and Latest News

July 2025

Spotlight on SEND and Kinship Care

Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) – whether living with their parents, with family and friends, or in the care system – are being let down by a system in crisis. Despite increased funding, outcomes remain poor, and families often face costly legal battles to secure support. Kinship families, who are more likely to care for children with additional needs, face unique challenges that are still not well understood.

As the Government prepares its upcoming white paper on SEND reform, the APPG is working to ensure kinship families’ voices are heard. This month we held the first of two spotlight sessions hearing the perspectives and experiences of three kinship carers from different parts of England.

In September, a second APPG spotlight session will hear from organisations working with kinship families with special educational needs and disabilities.

The APPG session also included updates on the:

• Kinship Financial Allowance Pilot: The APPG discussed the scope of the pilot and improving financial support for kinship families living outside of pilot areas. The APPG agreed to write to the Children’s Minister with further questions – read the letter.
• Parental Leave and Pay Review: the APPG agreed to response to the Call for Evidence.
• Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF): The APPG agreed to write to the Children’s Minister to seek clarity on several aspects including the Government’s plans for the future of the Fund – read the letter.

Read more:

Minutes of the session

A blog from Family Rights Group about the session

Parental Leave and Pay Review

On 1^st July, the Government announced the Parental Leave and Pay Review. The review will consider how the parental leave and pay system could be improved to better support working families and meet the needs of the modern economy. Our APPG strongly welcomes the inclusion of kinship families in the Review’s remit.Read more:

• Our Chair’s response
• More details on the review

June 2025

Kinship Allowance Financial Pilot

In June, the Government opened applications for local authorities to be involved in the Kinship Financial Allowances Pilot. Under the scheme, eligible kinship carers in up to ten local authorities will receive a weekly, non-means tested financial allowance which will be paid at a rate equivalent to the national minimum fostering allowance. The allowance will apply to children who are either under a special guardianship order and child arrangements order, or where that is the trajectory.

Read more:

• Find out more about the pilot

Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

This major piece of legislation has continued its journey through Committee Stage in the House of Lords.

Peers, including members of the APPG, tabled 13 amendments in relation to kinship care, including on educational support, financial support, employment leave, and legal support.

We draw particular attention to amendments tabled by APPG Member Lord Hampton, himself a kinship carer, which sought to strengthen the requirements under the kinship local offer. This included how local authorities work with families to develop the offer, and the inclusion of information on how families can access legal support.

Read more

• Hansard record on 9th June 2025

May 2025

Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund

APPG Members spoke in a Westminster Hall debate on support for children in adopted and kinship arrangements, with a particular focus on raising concerns about changes to the Fund.

New data secured by the APPG showed that almost half of applications (46%) to the Fund last year were above the new £3000 Fair Access Limit. This demonstrates the potential scale of the impact on affected families.

Read more

• Hansard record of the debate
• Government data in response to a parliamentary question from the Chair, Melanie Onn MP
• Coverage by Children and Young People’s Now

April 2025

On 1^st April, the All Party Parliamentary Group on Kinship Care welcomed the £50 million extension to the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund for 2025-26, announced by Minister Daby in response to an urgent question from APPG Vice Chair Munira Wilson MP.

The APPG’s statement:

“The All Party Parliamentary Group on Kinship Care has heard from kinship carers across the country about the critical difference that therapeutic support makes to the children they are raising.

“We urged the Government to confirm funding for 2025-26, and whilst the £50 million announced today is very welcome the uncertainty has left families in limbo.

“The Minister was unclear on whether further children in kinship care could become eligible for this support. Our Group, alongside families and the sector, has been calling for this to ensure all children in kinship care who need this are able to access it.

“We are encouraged by the extension but will scrutinise the details including any expansion when they are available.”

However, the Government has since announced a number of changes to the criteria for the fund until the end of March 2026:

• The Fair Access Limit (FAL) will now be £3,000, previously £5,000.
• Specialist assessments will no longer be funded separate to the FAL
• There will no longer be match funding applications for therapy which costs more than the £3,000 FAL, or for specialist assessments which cost more than £2,500.

They have also announced that until Spending Review decisions are made, they will only consider applications where the therapy or specialist assessment will be fully completed before the end of March 2026.

The Government say they changes are ‘in order to maximise the number of children who are able to access this fund’.

The APPG is seeking an urgent meeting with the Secretary of State. APPG Members are also working to secure a parliamentary debate on the issue.

APPG Members also raised the issue at Education Questions on 28^th April.

March 2025

Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund

The ambiguity around funding beyond March for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund is leaving families in limbo. The APPG’s officers write to Minister Daby about ensuring children in kinship care can access essential therapeutic support.

Read the letter here. The Minister’s response can be read here.

APPG Meeting

The APPG met on 19^th March to discuss the urgent need for clarity on the Adoption & Special Guardianship Support Fund with funding yet to be confirmed beyond the end of the financial year. Clare Walsh, a kinship carer to her sister’s two children, shared her experience and concerns from families like hers about the uncertainty.

The APPG also considered next steps on the kinship local offer, including MPs contacting their local authority, and the APPG’s workplan around special educational needs and disabilities.

A copy of the Minutes can be read here.

Subsequently, Tessa Munt MP urgently raised the issue at Business Questions. Over in the House of Lords, APPG Member Lord Hannay also raised the future of the Fund with Minister Jacqui Smith.

At Prime Minister’s Questions, APPG Vice Chair Munira Wilson MP raised with Keir Starmer the imminent cliff edge in funding for the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund.

Employment support

The APPG wrote to the Chief Executive of Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), Ian Todd, about providing kinship care employment leave for MPs’ staff. There are an estimated 3,500 staff working for MPs on IPSA contracts as personal office staff. Parliament has an opportunity to lead by example, joining the Department for Education and other major employers, in providing a kinship care leave option for staff who require it.

Read the letter here.

January 2025

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill received Second Reading in Parliament and began scrutiny in Bill Committee. Its provisions include:

• a new mandate on local authorities to offer families the opportunity to come up with solutions for their children’s welfare, to avert children entering the care system.
• a new legal duty on councils to publish a local kinship offer for families and for kinship care to be defined in primary legislation.
• extending the statutory responsibilities of the Virtual School Head role to champion the education of children, including children in kinship care.

APPG Members spoke in the Second Reading debate on 8^th January. Group Members were also represented on the Bill Committee, and several amendments were tabled to strengthen the kinship care provisions.

Family Rights Group, the Group’s secretariat, held a briefing for parliamentarians about the Bill on 22^nd January.

December 2024

Meeting the National Kinship Care Ambassador

Our Group met with the recently appointed National Kinship Care Ambassador, Jahnine Davis, to discuss her role and priorities.

Jahnine set out four key priorities:

• an emphasis on the voices and experiences of children
• determining what a good local offer for kinship families looks like
• exploring the silences and gaps – including informal arrangements and the experiences of Black and minority ethnic communities
• cross government understanding of kinship care

Read the minutes of the meeting here

Employment Rights Bill

The Group also heard from Munira Wilson MP (APPG Vice Chair and Liberal Democrat spokesperson on Education, Children and Young People) and colleague and APPG member Steve Darling MP, who have tabled amendments to the Employment Rights Bill to introduce paid employment leave for kinship carers. The Bill is currently in Committee stage in the Commons. See the amendments

New Research

Family Rights Group shared new research on the experiences of kinship families in employment, and new cost benefit analysis commissioned from Alma Economics which demonstrates the economic benefits of introducing a right to paid employment leave for kinship carers. Read more

Financial support for kinship carers

The APPG wrote to the Children’s Minister, Janet Daby MP, about financial support for kinship families. The letter asks questions about the construction of the kinship financial allowances pilot announced in the Budget, as well as inequalities in provision of financial support to special guardians. Read the letter. Read the Minister’s reply

November 2024

First debate of the new Parliament

November saw the first debate on kinship care of the new Parliament, led by Alistair Strathern MP. It was fantastic to see the strength of cross party support for kinship care. Over 20 MPs attended to support and advocate for better practical, emotional and financial support for children and families. With Children’s Minister Janet Daby MP in the chamber to hear the arguments and respond on behalf of the Government. Kinship carers watched from the gallery and spent time sharing their experience with MPs, alongside sector organisations Family Rights Group and Kinship.

Children’s Social Care Policy Paper

The Government also published a new children’s social care policy paper, setting out its approach to reform. It includes:

• The key principles that wherever possible, children should remain with their families and be safely prevented from entering the care system in the first place. Moreover, where children cannot remain at home and it is in their best interests, children should be supported to live with kinship carers or in fostering families, rather than in residential care.
• Mandating local authorities to offer family group decision-making, so every family can be involved in decisions about their children before entering the care system.
• Extending the statutory duty on local authorities to promote the educational achievement of children on child in need plans, child protection plans and in kinship arrangements. In practice this role is carried out by Virtual School Heads.

October 2024

Celebrating National Kinship Care Week

The APPG welcomed the appointment of Jahnine Davis as the first ever National Kinship Care Ambassador:

Our APPG welcomes the appointment of @JahnineDavis as the first ever National Kinship Care Ambassador. #KinshipCareWeek #ThisIsKinshipCare pic.twitter.com/fECHmx1OYK

— APPG on Kinship Care (@APPGKinshipCare) October 8, 2024

“The Ambassador role can ensure children and families in kinship care arrangements have a representative at the heart of national government and an influential voice engaging with and challenging local authorities across the country to push for positive change.

“As it stands, too many children are missing out on the opportunity to live safely in their family, and too many kinship carers struggle to access critical support for their children.

“Jahnine brings significant personal and professional experience to that challenge and our APPG looks forward to engaging with her to deliver the change children and families need.”

New statutory guidance on kinship care

The Government published updated Kinship Care statutory guidance. The last update was in 2011 so this was very overdue. The new guidance emphasises the involvement of family networks indecision-making about a child’s safety and wellbeing. It also includes a requirement that local authorities have a local offer for kinship families.

2024 Budget

The 2024 Budget included £44 million to support kinship and foster carers:

• trialling a new kinship allowance in up to 10 local authorities to test whether paying an allowance can help increase the number of children taken in by family members and friends.
• help to recruit more foster carers by ensuring that every local authority has access to a regional recruitment hub.

September 2024

A new Parliament, a newly established APPG

Following the July 2024 General Election, the APPG held its inaugural Annual General Meeting on 10^th September with new Minister for Children and Families, Janet Daby MP.

Congratulations to the APPG’s newly elected officer team:

• Melanie Onn, Labour MP for Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes, is the new Chair. Melanie was raised in kinship care with her great aunt and was a crucial ally in securing key changes like the two child tax credit exemption for kinship care.
• The Group’s vice chairs are: Joe Robertson, Conservative MP for Isle of Wight East. Joe is a former family solicitor and brings new insight from the frontline of the family justice system. Munira Wilson, Liberal Democrat MP for Twickenham. Munira introduced the Kinship Care Bill in the last Parliament and has been a fantastic champion for kinship carers. Baroness Armstrong, former Labour Minister and a stalwart parliamentary campaigner on child welfare issues.

Thank you to outgoing Chair and kinship carer, Andrew Gwynne MP, who has led the Group since 2021. He confirmed he’s already using his new ministerial role to champion kinship carers in Government.

A special mention to members of Family Rights Group kinship carers panel, Shanayd and Ray, who spoke to the APPG. They eloquently shared their experiences and the highs and lows faced by kinship families across the country.

The Minister was clear in her commitment to making positive change for kinship carers and supporting more children to live safely in their families. The Minister said kinship care is on the Government’s priority list and is focused on the upcoming Children’s Wellbeing Bill and spending review.

Full minutes are available to read here

May 2024

On 20th May, APPG Member Kerry McCarthy MP brought a 10 Minute Rule Bill calling for identification and support for children with a parent in prison. Often, children in such situations will be raised by relatives or friends in kinship care.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Kerry said: “Kinship carers – grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings – often play an important role in stepping up when a parent goes to prison, and they need support to do so” Watch here

On 22nd May, in a Westminster debate led by Andy Carter MP on support for bereaved children, APPG member Alistair Strathern MP spoke about the barriers kinship carers face when trying to access therapeutic support for children who have experienced trauma. Watch here

Family Rights Group provided the APPG with a briefing on this topic which can be found here.

The APPG was due to hold its Annual General Meeting on Monday 24th June but this has now been cancelled due to the dissolution of Parliament for the General Election.

The Group’s Income and Expenditure Statement for 2023-24 is published here.

April 2024

New government data on the number of children in kinship foster care across England and Wales suggests family and friend care options are too infrequently explored and supported in many local authorities.

Family Rights Group, working with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Kinship Care, has compared the local authority level data to the wider population of children in the care system and international examples.

Andrew Gwynne MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Kinship Care, secured the new data via a written parliamentary question. He said:

“Myself and my wife Alison were called upon by children’s services to step in for our grandson, Lyle. Across the country, tens of thousands kinship carers like us are providing love, support and protection to the children of family and friends.

“However, for many thousands of families this option is not explored or properly supported. Opportunities to safely ensure children can remain in their family are missed.

“There is clearly some way to go before kinship care is consistently prioritised for children and families across the country, when they cannot remain at home. Our All Party Parliamentary Group is working hard to change this.”

Read more

March 2024

MPs debate national kinship care strategy

This month saw the first parliamentary debate on the national kinship care strategy, following its publication in December. The oversubscribed session in Westminster Hall on Wednesday (6th March) was led by Alistair Strathern, MP for Mid Bedfordshire. MPs pressed the Government to go further and faster to support kinship families.

Key areas covered included the postcode lottery in local authority support, financial allowances and the limits of the Government’s pilot, workplace rights, therapeutic support, more help in school, and a legal definition of kinship care.

Find a summary of the session here

Full Hansard record

Watch on Parliament TV

Photos: Kinship carer campaigners and charities meeting with MPs at the session

February 2024

APPG meets with the Children’s Minister

On 20th February, the APPG met with the Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing, David Johnston MP. The session was the first opportunity the Group had to consider the national kinship care strategy and to question the Minister on the Government’s plans. The discussion particularly focused on the scope of the changes announced in the strategy and the reach of pilots. MPs were concerned the strategy would not make sufficient difference to families in every part of the country who are struggling to access the support they need now.

Minutes from the session are available to read here.

Hosting delegation from Brazil

On 19th February, the APPG hosted a judicial delegation from Brazil, to learn about England’s political and legislative approach to promoting kinship care. The visit will inform Brazil’s ongoing work to develop an approach to supporting family care. APPG Members, Baroness Blake, Lord Hannay, Tim Loughton MP, and Munira Wilson MP met with the delegation. The APPG’s secretariat, Family Rights Group, and kinship carers Adelaide, Martin and Stuart also joined the discussion. The visit was coordinated by ACER Brasil and SFAC (Strengthening Families And Children).

December 2023

APPG on Kinship Care welcomes national strategy as significant milestone

England now has its first ever national kinship care strategy.

The document “Championing Kinship Care” was published by the Government on 15th December.

Our APPG has welcomed this significant milestone, after many years of campaigning.

See the Group’s full statement below:

Read more here.

Ahead of the publication of the strategy, APPG Chair Andrew Gwynne MP, called on the Minister to make a statement to the House, and give Members the opportunity to ask questions. A written statement was made on Monday 18th December.

At Women & Equalities Questions on 13th December, APPG Vice Chair, Munira Wilson MP, highlighted the disproportionate impact on women when kinship carers are forced to leave work or reduce their hours to raise the children. She asked the Minister for statutory paid leave for all kinship carers. Watch

Written parliamentary questions:

• APPG Vice Chair, Munira Wilson MP, asks the Department for Education about introducing a national financial allowance for kinship carers. The Minister promised further details of the Government’s plans soon, with the national kinship care strategy due imminently.
• A question from Helen Hayes MP on funding for a kinship care training & support programme in England. In February, the DfE committed £9 million to the programme. A £3 million contract has now been awarded to the charity, Kinship.

October 2023

Kinship Care Week

October 2nd marked the start of Kinship Care Week 2023. Celebrating the brilliant role of kinship care in supporting children to live safely in their family. This year, carers and the sector campaigned on the theme #DoOneThing to raise awareness and keep kinship care in the spotlight ahead of the expected publication of the national kinship care strategy by the end of the year.

September 2023

Just before Parliament returned from summer recess, a Government reshuffle say David Johnston MP appointed as the new Children’s Minister. The APPG welcomed the appointment and invited the Minister to meet with the Group.

On September 14th, a Westminster Hall debate on support for kinship carers was led by APPG Vice Chair, Munira Wilson MP. The Group’s Chair, Andrew Gwynne MP, also contributed, alongside other Members.

The full Hansard record can be read here

See Family Rights Group’s Twitter thread with clips here.

On September 22nd, the Government published its response to the consultation on the ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’ implementation strategy. See below our APPG’s comment and a summary of the key messages on kinship care:

Over 100 kinship carers responded to the Government’s consultation, alongside others including this APPG. Key messages include:

• “levelling up” support between kinship and foster arrangements
• offering Family Group Conferences is key to a family-first approach

It asked what support local authorities offer to kinship families with SGO or CAO legal orders:

• Means tested financial support was most common, although more likely for SGOs than CAOs
• Other support included information, access to training and legal advice

BUT over a quarter of those who provided further detail said their local authority provided no support and were left to navigate the process alone. This consultation question did not include those with informal arrangements who often receive little or no support.

On the proposed common definition of kinship care – 85% of respondents were fully supportive or somewhat supportive. A refined definition taking on board feedback will be published in the national kinship care strategy.

Government also confirmed:

• A national kinship training, information and advice service will launch by Spring 2024
• The national kinship care strategy will be published by the end of the year
• The Kinship Carer Reference Group is informing strategy development
• Revisions to Working Together multiagency guidance strengthen references to exploring family networks and use of Family Group Conferences
• The Families First for Children pathfinder and Family Networks pilot will be testing Family Network Support Packages

Also this month, Tesco announced they will be providing paid kinship care employment leave, on a par with adoption leave, for special guardians in their workforce. We hope to see other employers following their lead.

June 2023

On 21st June, the APPG met with the Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing, Claire Coutinho MP, to discuss the upcoming national kinship care strategy.

MPs and Peers, alongside kinship carers Shanayd Warren and Stuart Black, put their thoughts and questions to the Minister, who said the Government want to get to a place where kinship care is valued and properly supported.

The key issues discussed included: mental health support, employment rights, financial allowances, the lack of a kinship care definition, inequalities faced by carers and children from Black and minority ethnic backgrounds, and the Government’s new training offer.

Family Rights Group’s Public Affairs Manager wrote a blog about what we learned from the session – read here

Formal minutes can be read here.

The APPG also held it’s Annual General Meeting. See the Group’s elected officers for 2023/24.

Minutes of the meeting can be read here.

The Group’s latest income and expenditure statement can be viewed here.

May 2023

The APPG responded to the consultation on the Government’s plans for children’s social care.

Drawing on the evidence the Group has heard from kinship families and the sector, here are their key messages to Government:

Read the APPG’s full consultation response here. Share on Twitter

March 2023

Spring Budget

The Budget had little to say on children’s social care beyond the announcements made in January in the Government’s implementation strategy.

The one exception being an uplift to the threshold for Qualifying Care Relief which could be worth up to £450 pa to qualifying foster and kinship carers. This is income tax relief for carers who receive payments for raising children placed with them by the local authority. In practice, foster carers including kinship foster carers will benefit from this reform. Financial help for kinship carers more broadly is hugely variable and some receive no support. The government’s immediate plans in this area remain unclear.

The extension of free childcare to include families with children aged 9 months up to 3 years will, once implemented, be beneficial to some kinship families who are in work. However, some will continue to be caught short such as if they work too few hours or are in education or training. Moreover, half of kinship carers have to give up work when the child comes to live with them and many are in financial hardship as a result. The upfront payment of childcare costs in universal credit is a helpful change. As is the Government’s support for the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill 2022-23 which will give a ‘day one’ right for employees to request flexible working.

Childcare Debate

The House of Commons debated the spending of the Department for Education on childcare and early years. Family Rights Group provided the APPG with a briefing about the free childcare for 2-year-olds scheme and how children in kinship care are impacted.

Kinship Care Bill

The Kinship Care Bill from APPG Vice Chair, Munira Wilson MP, was on the House of Commons order paper for a second reading. It seeks to:

• Define kinship care in law
• Provide weekly allowances
• Introduce paid employment leave
• Provide educational support

Liverpool Kinship Carers Charter

The APPG congratulated Kinship Carers Liverpool on leading pioneering work on the creation of the first local kinship care charter in Liverpool, setting out how kinship carers in the city will be supported. Read more

Bereavement support

There was a Westminster Hall debate on support for bereaved children. For children raised in kinship care, securing bereavement support and counselling can be difficult. Family Rights Group produced a briefing on policy in England.

February 2023

On 2nd February, the Government published their strategy for children’s social care reform, following the findings of the MacAlister Review.

The APPG published a statement responding to the announcement, welcoming the commitment to the first national kinship care strategy and calling on the Government to be bold, working cross-Government to deliver meaningful change for children and families. Read the response

See a Twitter thread on key announcements

In a House of Commons debate on the strategy, APPG Chair and a special guardian, Andrew Gwynne MP, asked the Secretary of the State for Education to address the postcode lottery in kinship care support – watch here.

In the House of Lords, APPG member Baroness Drake spoke on the need for the national kinship care strategy to be a cross-Government endeavour and to be adequately resourced. She highlighted the importance of free advice services, financial support and employment leave. The discussion demonstrated strong interest from across the chamber on improving support for kinship care with 37 mentions. Watch, Read

January 2023

The House of Lords approved the statutory instrument extending legal aid provision to kinship carers applying for special guardianship orders in private law. APPG member, Baroness Drake, welcomed the change and raised the need for similar provision for families before and during care proceedings. Watch here.

APPG Chair, Andrew Gwynne MP, wrote to Minister, Claire Coutinho MP, about the urgent need for a cross-government focus on support for kinship care in response to the independent review of children’s social care. Read here.

December 2022

On 8th December the House of Lords debated the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, led by Lord Watson of Invergowrie, a member of the APPG. The debate was well supported by peers from across the House and included calls for improved recognition and support for children to live in kinship care. A transcript of the debate can be read here and some key highlights can be watched here.

November 2022

Legal Aid and Advice 

On 14th November, Baroness Drake, a member of the APPG, had an oral question in the House of Lords on the APPG’s report on legal aid and advice. This was an opportunity to keep a focus on the challenges prospective kinship carers face accessing legal advice as highlighted by the APPG’s legal aid inquiry. Drake pressed the Government on the need to ensure legal aid provision is available to prospective special guardians in public as well as private law, including before care proceedings, as recommended by the APPG’s inquiry. Watch here.  

She was joined by cross party colleagues in pressing the urgency and need for better practical, financial and legal support for kinship families. The written record of the debate can be read here and some key highlights can be watched here. 

Meeting with the Children’s Commissioner 

On 15th November, the Group held a session with the Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, to discuss the Independent Family Review and improving support for children in kinship care. It was a wide-ranging discussion including schools and educational support, family-focused public services and better data collection especially in relation to informal kinship care arrangements. Thank you also to Clare and Elaine from FRG’s kinship carers’ panel for sharing their experience and ideas. Read a summary of the session here.

Commons debate on the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care 

On 24th November, a debate was held in the House of Commons on the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care. It was a constructive and detailed debate with a number of MPs from across the House speaking in favour of improved support for kinship care. The Minister announced that the Government would now be responding to the Review early in the new year. A written record of the debate can be read here and some key highlights can be watched here. 

October 2022

Kinship Care Week, 3rd to 7th October 

Members of the Group were pleased to join events marking Kinship Care Week and thanking kinship carers for the amazing role they play in the lives of children. 

The Group reaffirmed its cross party commitment to campaigning in Parliament for a better deal on kinship care for children and their carers. Every child should have the opportunity to live safely and thrive within their family. 

Letter to the Prime Minister 

MPs and Peers on the APPG sent a letter to Prime Minister Liz Truss, calling on her to put supporting kinship care at the centre of her Government’s action plan for implementing the independent review of children’s social care. Read here. 

Draft legislation extending legal aid 

Further to the parliamentary question response received by the Chair of the APPG before the summer, the Ministry of Justice laid a draft statutory instrument to extend the legal aid to some kinship carers. The measure will ensure special guardians who are applying to take on the care of children are eligible for means and merits tested legal aid in private law court proceedings. See analysis of the changes from Family Rights Group, the APPG’s secretariat, here. 

Kinship Care Bill debate 

Munira Wilson MP, a Vice Chair of the APPG and proponent of the Kinship Care Bill, led a Westminster Hall debate setting out more detail on how her Bill proposes to improve support for children and their kinship carers. APPG Chair and kinship carer, Andrew Gwynne MP, shared his experience. APPG Vice Chair, Ian Byrne MP, also spoke about the work of Kinship Carers Liverpool. Read the transcript here 

Many parliamentarians have also supported an Early Day Motion, backing the Bill. 

Kinship Parliamentary Reception 

MPs and Peers attended a parliamentary reception, sponsored by Munira Wilson MP and hosted by the charity Kinship, launching the charity ‘Value Our Love’ campaign. Speakers included the Children’s Commissioner for England and Shadow Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson MP.