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We’re concerned that kinship carers are being pushed to the brink. Only 13% of respondents said they were ‘mostly doing well’ when asked to describe their family’s status during 2023. The majority (60%) said they were ‘facing some challenges but managing’. Over a quarter (26%) said they were ‘facing severe challenges’ or ‘at crisis point’.
Although not directly comparable, a recent survey of adoptive parents found that, whilst they were slightly more likely to say they were ‘facing severe challenges or at crisis point’ at 31%, they were much more likely than kinship carers to be ‘mostly doing well’ (25%).[1]
Kinship’s own advice service has seen the level of need and complexity of cases increasing over the last year as inflationary pressures, rising child poverty and the continued crisis in children and adolescent mental health support in particular takes its cumulative toll on kinship families’ ability to cope. We are deeply concerned that the urgent need for change is not being recognised sufficiently by Government and local authorities given the devastating consequences which kinship family breakdown would have for children’s experiences and outcomes, and for the state.
Risk of family breakdown
Although nearly all kinship carers consider their arrangement to be long term or permanent – 95% in last year’s survey[2] – and evidence shows that kinship arrangements often have low rates of disruption[3] and deliver greater stability and permanence for children compared to other care options[4], the increasing financial pressures on kinship families and lack of support for carers and their children risks some kinship arrangements failing.
The likely alternative for the vast majority of children in kinship care would be local authority care. For nearly 9 in 10 (88%) children represented in this year’s survey, respondents said they would have remained in or gone into local authority care had they not stepped up to look after them and a further 7% said they didn’t know. For those who didn’t think they would have, this was typically because they expected another family member would have become their kinship carer instead.
12%
were concerned they may have to stop caring for their kinship child.
More than 19,000
children are at risk of entering local authority care as a result.
12% of kinship carers who responded to our survey told us they were concerned they may have to stop caring for their kinship child (or children) in the next year if their situation did not improve. A further 11% said they didn’t know.
“We are burnt out but feel that we could have carried on with better support or could have shared care with their mother if there had been support to explore this. That would be better for the children but is looking unlikely. We are very broken and despairing about the situation.”
Grandparent with child arrangements or residence order
Again, these worries were more common for kinship carers going it alone (14%) than for those carers with a partner or spouse to support (10%). Responding ‘yes’ to was also strongly correlated with those experiencing significant financial insecurity: a quarter (25%) of those who had run out of food in the last two weeks and were unable to afford more said they were concerned about their ability to continue caring for their kinship child (or children). Health of the carer also appeared to be a significant influencing factor: one fifth (20%) of those who reported their health to be ‘very bad’ or ‘bad’ feared having to give up compared to only 8% of those with ‘very good’ or ‘good’ health.
“I had to give up work to care for [child’s name]. Initially we was given the pittance of SGO allowance but now that has stopped. I am trying to re-claim however this has taken forever. That’s 500 a month we are down and now our landlord has upped our rent another 100 a month. I am now on PIP my husband has heart issues and arthritis he is working but it is crippling him. I don’t know how much longer we can go on.”
Grandparent and special guardian
Of those who felt they may have to give up caring for their child in the next year, 35% of accompanying responses explicitly mentioned financial concerns.
“Due to rising costs and limited support financially it may come down to have [sic] the children removed to local authority care. I have recently been told that because the children did not go into LA at all then we are not eligible for a lot of the financial help. If the children were in foster care then those carers would be being paid a fair wage, Just because they are related why should families be penalised?”
Aunt and special guardian
“My wife has given up work to focus on meeting the care needs of our SGO. She was the diagnosed with stage 3 heart failure in December 2022 so she now cannot meet their needs. We have had to put them into breakfast clubs, after school clubs and holiday play schemes. These have taken the financial burden to another level and whilst I receive a good wage, the cost of living and additional childcare cost has pushed us to breaking point. There are no benefits we can claim for them. My wife has a claim for PIP that is awaiting award.”
Uncle and special guardian
“The children’s allowance is currently up for a review and it really helps us. If we lose that to support the children, we have said we might have to give the children up.”
Aunt and special guardian
“If financial help is stopped, we simply won’t be able to afford to have the children… the financial support should be mandatory until the child finishes education. It should NOT be means tested either, this should be irrelevant, we have worked hard all our lives, why should we find ourselves living in poverty. What good is that for the children?”
Step grandparent and special guardian
39% mentioned challenges with (often violent) behaviour and difficulty accessing support for their kinship children’s mental health and special educational needs. In last year’s annual survey report, over half of carers said their child had behaviours which were difficult to manage and a quarter had experienced child-on-carer violence in the last year.[5] Many spoke of their family’s need for respite care to give both them and their kinship child (or children) a break.
“Lack of a support network as extended family not interested in helping. Overwhelmed dealing with SEMH [social, emotional and mental health] issues of child. Woeful lack of respite care options and us in burnout mode. We need family counselling, financial support and respite so we can resource ourselves somehow.”
Grandparent and special guardian
“Child’s behaviour is causing relationship problems within both the immediate and wider family group. This is also directly impacting on both my and my wife’s health. Need to be able to obtain respite care to enable breaks from caring and emotional support for both the child and immediate family members.”
Step grandparent and special guardian
“I had 2 grandchildren in my care, but due to behavioural difficulties I had to revoke my order for one of my granddaughters. This has left a huge impact on our lives. More so for my granddaughter. All because social services failed us as a family.”
Grandparent and special guardian
Other respondents spoke about housing pressures and overcrowding, as well as their own health and ability to physically continue caring for children at an older age.
“We live in our own 2 bedroom property with 5 people my husband and me sleep in the living room and my grandchildren boy 10 and girl 4 share a room. We live on top of each other.”
Grandparent and special guardian
“In the past 2 ½ years my physical health has deteriorated considerably. My husband is also finding it harder and without him I would be unable to cope physically without extra help.”
Grandparent and special guardian
“I have a very small 2 bedroomed house. My adult son has one room. My 18 year old special needs granddaughter has the other. My next two granddaughters have beds in my lounge and I have to sleep in a chair also in lounge. We are so over crowded.”
Grandparent currently being assessed as a family and friends foster carer
This level of uncertainty risks more than 19,000 children across England and Wales who are currently living within their family networks instead entering the already overstretched care system. This avoidable tragedy would lead to significant detrimental impacts for children, families and the public purse. Evidence suggests that educational, health and employment outcomes for children who have grown up in kinship care are often better than for those looked after by unrelated carers in foster or residential care.[6] Kinship’s own commissioned research has found that, for every 1000 children raised in kinship families rather than in local authority care, the state saves £40 million and increases the lifetime earnings of those children by £20 million.[7]
Sibling separation
Maintaining relationships with siblings can be a significant protective factor for children growing up in kinship care.[8] The UK Government’s recent response to its Stable Homes strategy consultation in England also highlights the views of children and young people who fed into the consultation who were particularly concerned about sibling separation and wanted the maintenance of these relationships to be prioritised.
Despite kinship care options offering additional opportunities to ensure brothers and sisters can be cared for together within their family network, nearly 1 in 5 respondents (18%) told us they had at some point been unable to take on the care of a brother or sister to a kinship child already in their care.
Nearly 1 in 5
were unable to take on the care of a brother or sister.
The most commonly given reasons for this included a lack of space at home (49%), the carer’s ability to manage the child’s social, emotional or mental health difficulties (46%), concerns about their own health and wellbeing as a carer (45%), and financial worries (44%). Other reasons given included the local authority refusing to support, a lack of paid leave from employment, age of the child or carer, and concerns around difficult family dynamics and ongoing contact.
“Asked to take newborn sibling but I was working full time and there is no maternity, or equivalent leave for SGO.”
Aunt and special guardian
“At the point we were asked we were facing severe challenges with existing child, no support offered to help her so we could take on her brother. It was clear that if we didn’t jump at the chance (rather than ask for support) they were moving straight onto adoption which is what has happened. Existing child has not forgiven us, me particularly.”
Step grandparent and special guardian
“Concern that, as we grow older, we may not have the energy to give two children a sufficiently stimulating life – especially given the demands of the health issues facing our first kinship child.”
Grandparent and special guardian
Assuming the pattern of responses in our survey held for the whole cohort, as 20,000 children may have entered the care system unnecessarily over the last decade. Many of the reasons expressed by kinship carers for being unable to take on additional children could be solved or tackled through appropriate support; it is completely unacceptable that so many children have been denied the opportunity to live alongside their brother(s) or sister(s) in kinship care.
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