APPG’s Activities and Latest News 2022-2024

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.