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.
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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 by commissioning our services.
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 than 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
The impact of our commissioned programmes
We offer 2 commissioned programmes – Kinship Connected and Kinship Reach.
Evidence shows that these programmes make a real difference to kinship families by:
- 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.
Find out more about our commissioned programmes, as well as our other services for kinship carers.
Testimonials
Our pioneering programmes Kinship Connected and Kinship Reach provide intensive support for kinship families (regardless of legal order). Local authorities that commission our programmes value the extra capacity we add to their teams, freeing up social worker time and providing a crucial service to kinship carers – preventing families reaching crisis point.
Below are some testimonials from teams that have commissioned our services.
Becky Brown, Service Manager, Cheshire and Merseyside Assessment Hub
Becky Brown, Service Manager, Cheshire and Merseyside Assessment Hub, talks about the value of having independent Kinship family workers supporting kinship carers. She also discusses the economic benefits of investing in kinship care through our programmes here in 2024-2025 and gave this testimonial during a Mutual Ventures webinar.
At our June 2025 Knowledge Exchange: Navigating the kinship care local offer in-person event in Westminster, London, our panel reflected on the unique benefits of having Kinship’s team embedded in their service offer for kinship carers:
“It’s great having someone that our kinship carers can talk to about pretty much anything, from practical advice around furniture, to emotionally holding people who are very distressed and worried. I love how effective our Kinship Family Worker is at both the one-to-one support and linking kinship carers in with the wider Kinship support – in particular the peer support and training.”
Mandy Wilkins, Team Manager (Early support/Keeping in touch), Adopt London West
“Kinship were there from the beginning and have become a key part of the way we work.
“Our Kinship Family Worker has been incredible. She builds trusting relationships with kinship carers, and because she’s not the council, carers will often open up to her in a different way. She becomes that neutral person who listens, who hears them, and who feeds things back in a really constructive way.
“We treat her like part of the team – she joins our meetings, and she’s completely embedded in our thinking. She’s been especially helpful in reaching carers who wouldn’t otherwise engage.
“And what’s powerful is that she can do things we sometimes can’t – like helping kinship carers connect with support groups or just giving them space to be angry or upset without feeling judged. It’s that kind of relational support that makes such a difference.”
Jenny Williams, Children’s Service Manager, Kinship Support Service and Stronger Families Team and Lucy Collier, Team Manager, Kinship Support Service, Nottinghamshire County Council
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.
Our programmes and services provide proven positive outcomes for kinship carers. Find out how you can work with us to provide holistic support.