“We can’t pay with love”: Kinship carers march across London with empty shopping trolleys

On 12 February, over 30 kinship carers marched and chanted their way through Westminster to the Treasury to call on the Chancellor Rachel Reeves to provide a financial allowance for all kinship carers.

Kinship carers marched with empty trolleys to remind the government that they can’t pay with love, and every day they delay giving kinship families the support they need, they leave them struggling to survive. The march ended with kinship carers handing over a giant “shopping list” of the essential things that the average kinship family has to find a way to pay for each month (food, uniform, clothing, heating bills).

Our protest in London shines a light on the issues facing all kinship families. Kinship carers are struggling to afford the essentials – they are twice as likely as other adults to rely on food banks and 4 times as likely to fall behind on their bills. And 1 in 8 kinship carers have told us that due to the lack of support they may have to give up caring for the child they love if their situation doesn’t improve.

Kinship carers took to the streets in frustration at the lack of action from government and to highlight that kinship families cannot wait any longer for financial support. Kinship carer Kieron said:

“I often speak of the power in kinship carers’ support groups, but today I felt that power transferred to the streets. Walking alongside the treasury building hearing our voices echo in the streets was truly moving. I’ve done several events with Kinship, but this felt different. It felt like actions and words combined creating a force full of passion.”

A number of MPs also marched alongside kinship carers. Some kinship carers shared their powerful stories and calls for change which secured media coverage across The Independent, the i, Big Issue and more.

On the same day, we also released new research with the Centre for Care at the University of Sheffield which shows kinship carers contribute £4.3 billion to the economy each year by raising children, many of whom would otherwise be in the care system. But still most kinship carers don’t receive any financial support.

The #ValueOurLove campaign is calling on Rachel Reeves to step up and ensure kinship carers receive the support they need to provide for their families, by introducing a financial allowance for all kinship carers in the forthcoming government Spending Review.

Take action now by sharing our template email with the Chancellor.

Read our new report, Valuing kinship care in England.