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Are you a parent, kinship carer relative or friend of a child who is involved with, or who needs the help of, children’s services in England? We can help you understand processes and options when social workers or courts are making decisions about your child’s welfare.
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To speak to an adviser, please call our free and confidential advice line 0808 801 0366 (Monday to Friday 9.30am to 3pm, excluding Bank Holidays). Or you can ask us a question via email using our advice enquiry form.
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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:
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
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 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:
Following the July 2024 General Election, the APPG held its inaugural Annual General Meeting on 10th September with new Minister for Children and Families, Janet Daby MP.
Congratulations to the APPG’s newly elected officer team:
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.
The updates below relate to the APPG’s work in the 2019 to 2024 Parliament
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.
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.”
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
Photos: Kinship carer campaigners and charities meeting with MPs at the session
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).
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:
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:
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.
Today is the start of #KinshipCareWeek 2023!
Celebrating the brilliant role of kinship care in supporting children to live safely in their family.
This year, carers and the sector are campaigning on the theme #DoOneThing to raise awareness & keep #KinshipCare in the spotlight✨ pic.twitter.com/uWZMowmJq6
— APPG on Kinship Care (@APPGKinshipCare) October 2, 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:
It asked what support local authorities offer to kinship families with SGO or CAO legal orders:
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:
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.
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.
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
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:
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
In response to a Written Parliamentary Question from Andrew Gwynne MP, the Ministry of Justice confirmed that they will bring forward legislation in the Autumn to expand legal aid to cover special guardianship orders in private law. The APPG’s legal aid inquiry made a recommendation that this commitment be urgently implemented and so this is a welcome step forward to tackle the legal labyrinth that kinship carers face.
The group held it’s Annual General Meeting on 29th June 2022 in Parliament. This was the first time the group met in person since it’s formation in 2021 amid the Coronavirus pandemic. Parliamentarians heard from kinship carers, Clare Walsh and Enza Smith, who shared their experience and perspective on the proposals made by the Independent Review. Munira Wilson MP also spoke about her Kinship Care Bill to be debated in Parliament on 5th July 2022. The group elected its officers for the coming year (see more here). Read the minutes of the meeting here.
he APPG concluded its inquiry on legal aid and advice for kinship carers, publishing its findings and recommendations in a new report: ‘Lost in the legal labyrinth: How a lack of legal aid and advice is undermining kinship care’. The report shines a spotlight on, and sets out proposals for addressing, the challenges carers and prospective carers face in stepping forward and navigating the family justice system, in England and Wales, to support the children they are raising to thrive. Read more on the inquiry page here.
The independent review of children’s social care in England published its final report. The APPG welcomed the Review’s proposals to ‘unlock the power of kinship care’. Read the group’s full response here. The group’s chair, Andrew Gwynne MP, also questioned the Children’s Minister in Parliament – watch here.
APPG member, Alex Cunningham MP, wrote for Politics Home about why its time to deliver kinship care reform and support for families without further delay. Read more here.
The group held the second of its virtual oral evidence sessions as part of its inquiry into legal aid and advice for kinship carers and prospective kinship carers. Members heard evidence from legal organisations working across children’s law.
A written note from the session can be read here.
Family Rights Group’s survey for kinship carers to help inform the APPG’s work, remains open.
Find out more about the inquiry here.
This month the group held the first of two virtual oral evidence sessions as part of its inquiry into legal aid and advice for kinship carers and prospective kinship carers. Members heard evidence from kinship carers with lived experience of the family justice system and from an experienced family legal practitioner.
A written note from the session can be read here.
Family Rights Group have also launched a survey for kinship carers to help inform the APPG’s work. Chair, Andrew Gwynne MP, has written a blog about why the group is reaching out to carers here.
Find out more about the inquiry here.
The APPG launched an inquiry into access to legal aid for kinship carers and potential kinship carers. It will explore how many grandparents, brothers, sisters and other relatives or friends are not currently able to access free, independent legal advice and representation when considering taking on the care of a child who cannot safely remain with their parents. The inquiry will look at the impact this has on families and the wider child welfare and family justice system.
See press release here.
Find out more about the inquiry here.
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