In an open letter to Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds, ministers are urged to close what they describe as a significant gap in employment rights that leaves kinship carers without access to paid leave when they take on the care of a child.
We are Kinship
We are Kinship. The leading kinship care charity. We’re here for kinship carers – friends or family who step up to raise a child when their parents aren’t able to.
We support kinship families across England and Wales and are expanding our work into Scotland.
Let’s commit to change for kinship families.
Get support and advice
Contact the advice line
Our phone line is open from Monday to Friday, 10:30am to 1pm (excluding public holidays).
You can call us during these hours for free on 0300 123 7015.
The Kinship advice team are specialists in supporting kinship carers across England and Wales. We can support you wherever you are in your kinship journey. Contact our advice team.
Kinship Care Week 2026
Kinship Care Week (5 to 11 October 2026) is a time to celebrate kinship families and shine a light on the vital role of kinship carers – relatives and friends who step up to raise a child when their parents are unable to.
This year we launched our new documentary photography series – ‘Unplanned, Unprepared, Unwavering’. Seven families, seven stories, one shared reality. With minutes to decide, they all became kinship carers with no time to prepare.
Upcoming training and events
As well as our roadshows, we run lots of free workshops for kinship carers, both in person and online. These cover a range of subjects to offer support for every step of your journey. See all upcoming workshops on:
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.
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
Find out how we're campaigning for change
Kinship care has been undervalued for too long. Research shows that kinship carers contribute £4.3 billion to the economy per year. Yet many are struggling to make ends meet. We think that’s not fair.
That’s why we’re calling on the government to give all kinship carers the financial, emotional and practical support they need.
Latest news and highlights
Take a look at some of our latest news and highlights from across Kinship.
New research published by Kinship for Kinship Care Week (5-11 October) reveals that more than seven in ten kinship carers have little or no time to prepare before taking on the care of a relative's child. Among those, 6 in 10 had just minutes or hours to decide.
Kinship is delighted to announce our partnership with Inspiring Scotland to strengthen support for kinship families in West Dunbartonshire – our first step into delivering direct support to kinship families in Scotland.
Watch our Young Champions' animation
We’re so excited to share this animated film about growing up in kinship care.
Written and voiced by young people in kinship care, the film explores what life is like in a kinship family. It was created as part of our Young Champions project, funded by BBC Children in Need.
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.
Find out how you become a kinship carer, and what to expect from the process.
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.
Join our community
Sign up for emails to keep up to date with the information that’s important to you, from support and advice for kinship carers, to our latest news, events and campaigns.