For professionals:

National peer support service

Supporting kinship carers to set up thriving peer support groups in their area. Sharing experiences, creating community and building resilience and knowledge. How can your local authority support?

Are you a kinship carer?

Please visit Support and advice for kinship carers

On this page

Click on the link below to take you to the section you'd like to read:

  1. About the national peer support service
  2. How does the service work?
  3. How your local authority can support

About the national peer support service

The Kinship peer support service is open to all kinship carers in England, regardless of their legal order or local authority. It is funded by the Department for Education.

Over the last 2 years we have set up over 150 peer support groups across England.

Emotional support from kinship carers in a similar situation is the most important form of support needed after financial support.

The service builds networks across England, helping thousands of kinship carers to make connections and friendships with other kinship carers in their local area and online.

We’re helping kinship carers to build their own thriving communities.

Building confidence, advocacy and wellbeing to help support permanence in a loving stable kinship family.

How does the service work?

Our peer support team is actively reaching out into areas where the need for kinship peer support is greatest. Peer support groups can be in-person and online.

We run and facilitate engagement events and coffee mornings to welcome kinship carers in their local area. For many this will be the first time they have met other kinship carers.

As connections and relationships are established, the team support kinship carers to set their own group up and to take ownership of leading it.

Our team:

  • establish trusted relationships with kinship carers
  • support kinship carers to understand want they need and want from their group
  • provide training and resources to set up their group
  • support with venues and promotion
  • support with practical tools and tips
  • signpost to our free specialist services and other voluntary organisations

As the peer support group is established, and the Support Group Leader of the group starts to coordinate and lead the group, we provide extra support to ensure they thrive.

We are building a community of support group leaders who will share best practice, connect with each, build regional connections and celebrate the amazing role that kinship carers do.

"So actually going through Kinship I think actually is a really valuable resource, [learning] about actually how to set [a support group] up. You're given a point of contact who has been amazing. She has met with me. We've had online chats and, I've also been part of the very first forum for people that were obviously interested in starting up a group with them. "

Carol, a peer support group leader

How your local authority can support

We would like to work in partnership with your local authority team. You can support by promoting our engagement events and local peer support groups to your kinship families, helping them to access support and information.

We can provide you with:

  • flyers
  • newsletter templates
  • website copy
  • social media and WhatsApp banners

And if you run your own groups, we’d like to share and promote those on our website to make sure kinship carers are able to access all their local support.

For more information and to tell us about your local authority run peer support group, email our peer support team: peersupport@kinship.org.uk

Support kinship carers in your local authority

Kinship is keen to work with local authorities and their kinship teams to strengthen relationships between kinship carers. Find out how we can support you.