Support for special guardians through COVID-19
Why we offer this service
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the already precarious situation of many special guardians and other kinship carers who are often older, with health concerns and raising children in difficult circumstances. Since the lockdown began, Kinship has been surveying kinship carers’ concerns and quickly developed Kinship Response – an agency membership service that regional adoption agencies, and local authorities that aren’t in a regional adoption agency, can commission to support special guardians in their areas.
Common concerns include:
Health concerns – what will happen to the children if they get coronavirus or die?
Financial concerns – loss of income due to reduced hours or jobs being cut and higher energy and food bills.
Lack of support – less support now, less able to work with the schools closed.
Child’s well-being – mental & physical health, routing, the pressure of homeschooling and keeping children occupied.
Self-isolation – how to manage with children, confusion and conflicting advice.
Getting basic supplies – effects of panic buying and getting prescriptions.
Lack of information – confusion on what they should do and how to manage.
Contact with family members – maintaining hygiene and effect on arrangements.
Who can access the service?
All eligible special guardians within the local authorities that are members of the commissioning regional adoption agency.
If you work for one of our member local authorities and wish to make a referral for a special guardian please click here.
If you are a special guardian and would like to self-refer please click here.
What’s included as part of the membership?
Local authorities and regional adoption agencies can choose from two tiers of membership:
Tier 1
12 month membership giving all eligible special guardians in the area access to:
- Advice & information
- Membership of Grandparents Plus Kinship Community of 7,000+ members
- Priority access to our specialist advice service – phone, email or online form via our website
- Access to the Grandparents Plus website – regularly updated with relevant information in relation to support during COVID-19
- Access to live regional Facebook advice surgeries
- Access to virtual peer support groups
Tier 2
Everything that is included in Tier 1, plus an additional one-to-one support package:
- Advice & information
- Membership of Grandparents Plus Kinship Community of 7,000+ members
- Priority access to our specialist advice service – phone, email or online form via our website
- Access to the Grandparents Plus website – regularly updated with relevant information in relation to support during COVID-19
- Access to live regional Facebook advice surgeries
- One-to-one support for set number of special guardians, includes:
- Initial phone assessment of need
- Access to digital skills support
- Applications for grants for essential items
- Up to three further one hour calls per special guardian from a project worker – via phone, WhatsApp video, Zoom or Skype
- Peer support
- Access to virtual peer support groups
- Access to our Someone Like Me telephone peer support service
How it makes a difference to special guardians
Outcomes from accessing the service are likely to include:
- Special guardians feel more confident in fulfilling their caring role
By sharing concerns and experiences with other special guardians’, as well as receiving expert support from signposted organisations, carers feel more confident in carrying out their role as a special guardian. - Special guardians have an increased sense of wellbeing
Carers’ wellbeing is improved through sharing their stories with others in a similar situation, as well as through support they are able to access through signposting from the group and staff. - Special guardians have reduced concerns about their children’s wellbeing
Carers feel more able to support the children in their care through sharing their concerns and experiences with peers in the same situation and through support they are able to access for both them and the children in their care. - Special guardians have reduced feelings of isolation
Carers feel less isolated and part of the kinship care community through attending virtual support groups. - Special guardians have reduced feelings of loneliness
Carers feel less lonely and part of the kinship care community through attending virtual support groups. - Special guardians are more able to manage their children’s behaviour
Through sharing their concerns and experiences with peers in a similar situation, as well as through receiving support from organisations they have been signposted to, carers feel more able to manage their children’s behaviour. - Special guardians feel more able to manage family relationships
Special guardians feel more able to manage family relationships having shared their situations and challenges with peers in a similar situation, as well as from support they have received from specialist organisations they have been signposted to through the programme. - Special guardians have reduced financial concerns
From the information they have received from peers in a similar situation, support from our advice service and grants that they can apply for through Grandparents Plus, special guardians have reduced financial concerns.
Who are we currently working with?
North West
Blackburn & Darwen, Blackpool, Bolton,
Bury, Knowsley, Lancashire, Liverpool,
Oldham, Rochdale, Sefton,
Tameside and Wirral
North East
Darlington, Durham, Redcar & Cleveland, Hartlepool, Newcastle, Middlesbrough, Stockton-Upon-Tees and Sunderland
Yorkshire and the Humber
Barnsley, Bradford, Calderdale, City of York, East Riding of Yorkshire, Hull
Kirklees, Leeds, North East
Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire
and Wakefield
West Midlands
Birmingham, Shropshire Council, Staffordshire County Council, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Telford & Wrekin
East Midlands
Derby City, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Nottingham City
East of England
Central Bedfordshire
London
Barnet, Brent, Barking & Dagenham, Bexley, Camden, Croydon, Ealing, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Hammersmith & Fulham, Havering, Hounslow, Islington, Kingston, Lambeth, Lewisham, Merton, Newham, Richmond, Southwark, Sutton, Tower Hamlets and Wandsworth
South East
East Sussex and Surrey
South West
Cornwall
