We are Kinship

The leading kinship care charity in England and Wales. We’re here for kinship carers – friends or family who step up to raise a child when their parents aren’t able to. Let’s commit to change for kinship families.

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Kinship Care Week 2024

Kinship Care Week (7 to 13 October 2024) has officially landed and so has our new #ThisIsKinshipCare animation.

Written and recorded by kinship carers, the film speaks to the joy, the warmth, the humour, the love, as well as the challenges of being a kinship family.

Kinship Care Week is an opportunity to celebrate the incredible role that kinship carers play in children’s lives and society. It’s also an important time to help everyone understand what kinship care is.

Find out more about Kinship Care Week 2024.

Kinship care in England and Wales

  • More than 141,000 children are in kinship care in England and Wales

  • Nearly 1 in 5 kinship carers feel lonely often or always

  • More than 1/3 of kinship carers experienced an income drop of more than 50% after stepping up to take on the care of a child

Kinship Compass: find independent information, support and advice in your area

We know kinship care is complex and confusing. Use Kinship Compass to discover what support is available to you, both locally and nationally, to help you navigate your kinship journey.

Find support in your area
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Get information and expert advice

We provide information and advice on all issues affecting kinship carers. Browse our advice collections, take a look at some of our most popular advice articles below or contact our advice team for free, expert information and advice.

Talk to someone

Being a kinship carer is rewarding, but hard. We’re here for the good days and the bad days. For the ups and the downs. And everything in-between. Because we’re here for you. 

Four people sitting in a circle. One of them is writing on a clipboard and has their left hand resting on the shoulder of one of the members of the group.

Find your nearest peer support group

Peer support groups are a great way to meet other kinship carers, share your experiences and exchange advice. Find your nearest group.

View Find your nearest peer support group
An older woman sits on a grey sofa, smiling as she looks at her mobile phone.

Speak to someone like you

Want to talk to someone who understands what you’re experiencing as a kinship carer? Our specially trained kinship carer volunteers are here to listen through our free Someone Like Me service.

View Speak to someone like you
An older couple sit at a table looking at each other, with a laptop in front of them.

Contact the Kinship advice team

Find out more about our advice service, how they can help, and how to get in touch with them.

View Contact the Kinship advice team

Upcoming events

We run a variety of in-person and online workshops and events to help kinship carers navigate a complex system. Below are some of our upcoming, in-person roadshow events.

See all of our free workshops and events.

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Kinship Roadshow Leeds

Join us in Leeds on Tuesday 22 October to connect with other carers, share experiences and get vital information to help you make the right choices for you.

Find out more
An older woman wearing a navy blue Christmas sweater holds a pink mug and smiles to camera.

Kinship Roadshow Nottingham

Join us in Nottingham on Tuesday 5 November to connect with other carers, share experiences and get vital information to help you make the right choices for you.

Find out more
Two older man standing together in front of a hedge.

Kinship Roadshow Plymouth

Join us in Plymouth on Tuesday 19 November to connect with other carers, share experiences and get vital information to help you make the right choices for you.

Find out more

Latest news and highlights

Take a look at some of our latest news and highlights from across Kinship.

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