Why your local authority needs to care about kinship carers
There are over 160,000 children in England being raised by family members and friends. Often known by children and families teams as either special guardians, kinship foster carers, connected persons carers or family and friends carers, they are known collectively as kinship carers.
These incredible people step in to raise children when their parents can’t – often because of drug or alcohol dependency, mental health, imprisonment or bereavement. It’s not an easy role, and it’s even harder in a pandemic.
Local authorities can’t afford not to support kinship families
Research shows that with the right support based on the children’s and carer’s needs, kinship carers give loving, stable, permanent homes to hundreds of vulnerable children in your area, who would otherwise be in care.
Without proper support, these families won’t be able to cope, the placement will break down and the children will return to, or go into, care at a huge cost to the local authority and huge impact on children’s lives.
77 local authorities in England already partner with Grandparents Plus to support their kinship families.
Grandparents Plus can help your children and families teams build back better support for these vulnerable families and save your local authority money.
