Find out how you become a kinship carer, and what to expect from the process.
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.
Get support and adviceKinship 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.
Kinship care in England and Wales
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More than 141,000 children are in kinship care in England and Wales
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Nearly 1 in 5 kinship carers feel lonely often or always
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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.
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.
Stepping up to raise a child can be expensive, and money worries are common for kinship carers. Find out what financial support and benefits are available to you.
How to plan and organise contact time with family to reduce stress and make it a positive experience for the child.
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.
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 groupSpeak 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 youContact 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 teamUpcoming 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.
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 moreKinship 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 moreKinship 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 moreLatest news and highlights
Take a look at some of our latest news and highlights from across Kinship.
'Make or Break' shares key findings from Kinship’s 2024 annual survey of more than 1,300 kinship carers.
Kinship’s new research shows that a lack of financial and other support is stopping kinship foster carers moving to kinship arrangements outside the care system.
Kinship’s new report Forgotten: Support for kinship children’s education and mental health highlights that children in kinship care are often suffering from life-changing trauma with no support.
Join our community
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