Information, advice and support for professionals working with kinship carers.
For professionals:
Commission our services
Kinship provides support and services for kinship families that improves outcomes now and for the future.
Are you a kinship carer?
Please visit Support and advice for kinship carers
Most kinship families receive no financial or practical support.
Like us, you know that needs to change.
Kinship carers make a commitment to care for a child who is not their own. Often in times of crisis, and with little time to prepare emotionally or financially. Our commitment is to support them on their kinship journey – no matter what stage they’re at. You can commit to support them too.
Together, let’s commit to change for kinship families.
Why commission Kinship
For over 20 years we’ve been supporting, advising and informing kinship carers – and campaigning for fairer services. We are made by, and for, our community of kinship carers.
Specialist, consistent support
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More than 141,000 children are in kinship care in England and Wales
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31% of children in kinship care have diagnosed or suspected social, emotional and mental health needs
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1 in 8 kinship carers had been forced to pay for therapeutic support out of their own pockets
Kinship families are dealing with significant challenges. Children have often experienced trauma, abuse and neglect, many have special educational needs, and almost three quarters of children in kinship care are growing up in deprived households.
Kinship families deserve consistent support, tailored to their needs. Without support, kinship carers often feel overwhelmed. And they may struggle to continue in their caring roles.
A stable home means better outcomes for children. Kinship families provide the security children and young people need to thrive – now, and in the future.
Cost effective support
We know that local authority budgets are stretched and money needs to be spent in areas where it will have the biggest impact. By supporting kinship carers to provide loving homes for vulnerable children and young people, we can keep children out of the care system. However, without adequate support, kinship carers will not be able to keep looking after the children in their care.
In our Breaking Point report 2023 12% of kinship carers told us that they were concerned they may have to stop caring for their kinship child. That equates to more 19,000 children at risk of entering local authority care.
By commissioning our services, you can provide the best possible support to kinship carers in your local authority, enabling them to keep caring and preventing children entering the care system. Helping families stay together.
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25% of kinship carers rated the quality of local authority support their family had received as very poor
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28% of kinship carers had to claim benefits after taking on the care of a child due to a change in their employment status
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Only 23% of kinship carers were offered employment support by their local authority
"Kinship have supported our local authority by delivering a regular support group. Slowly the numbers have increased and there is now a lovely group of guardians who not only get support but offer support to each other. This has allowed the authority to progress with future plans, to support the families and build up relationships. Being able to refer individuals to Kinship for support straight away when issues arise or they need some advice, helps our guardians feel listened to and appreciated and the authority is able to concentrate on supporting the most complex cases with the knowledge our families are in safe hands. "
Social Worker at Walsall Borough Council
Our impact
Our programmes make a real difference to kinship families, through:
- helping reduce isolation
- reducing concerns regarding children
- increasing connectedness with other kinship carers
- building greater resilience
- increasing pride in being a kinship carer
Kinship carers who had previously felt isolated and unsupported said that the programme was ‘vital’ in helping them feel less alone, connected and supported.
See other related content
Since 2001, we have been supporting kinship carers in England and Wales to access the advice, support and information they need to help provide a stable, loving home for the children they care for. Find out more about our work and impact.
Kinship Connected is an independently evaluated, evidenced-based programme for kinship carers in England and Wales that seeks to strengthen relationships between local authorities and kinship carers.