Relatives given just minutes to keep children out of care, then left without support

5 October 2026

Relatives and family friends are forced to make life-changing snap decisions to prevent children going into foster or residential care, only to be left without the crucial support they need.

New research published by Kinship for Kinship Care Week (5-11 October) reveals that more than seven in ten kinship carers have little or no time to prepare before taking on the care of a relative’s child. Among those, 6 in 10 had just minutes or hours to decide.

More than 141,000 children in England and Wales are being raised by relatives or friends when their parents are unable to – that’s double the number in foster care. But unlike foster carers who are trained and prepared, they often take on the role with no notice and little support.

Despite making what most kinship carers describe as the ‘biggest decision of their lives’, three in five (57%) said they did not feel supported when they agreed to take on the care of their kinship children.

To accompany the new findings, Kinship is also launching Unplanned, Unprepared, Unwavering – a new documentary photography series for Kinship Care Week 2026.

Created through rare-access photography, the series captures the realities of kinship care through the lives of seven families who have stepped in to raise a relative or friend’s child with no time to prepare, including Kinship Ambassador Josh McDonald (BBC Gladiators champion) and his 16-year-old brother Max.

The early findings from Kinship’s 2026 annual survey of more than 1,500 kinship carers across England and Wales, expose a children’s care system that relies on relatives and friends to step up to prevent children in family crisis from entering the care system, often at enormous emotional and financial cost.

The survey reveals:

  • 72% had no time to prepare for a child (72%)
  • 42% had less than an hour to decide and 19% had less than 24 hours to decide.
  • 87% said decision was life changing
  • 57% said they didn’t feel supported

Many kinship carers take on a child without being able to access clear advice about the practical, legal and financial consequences and without the same support available to foster carers.

The impact of this snap decision can have life changing consequences. Many are forced to quit jobs, delay retirement and suffer strained relationships so children can remain with people who love them:

  • 47% said their relationships with family or friends were strained
  • 30% postponed or abandoned plans to change career or take a new job
  • 30% reported pressure on their relationship with a partner or spouse
  • 20% postponed retirement or return to work

While kinship carers provide vital stability and security for children, the new data shows many are being pushed into financial hardship.

  • 54% of kinship carers say they struggle to afford their energy bills
  • 47% have been forced to use savings to get by
  • 28% rely on credit more than usual
  • 16% have gone without healthcare or dental treatment because they could not afford it
  • 14% have skipped meals and or used food banks

Despite all the challenges, 56% said being a kinship carer has brought joy to their lives. 

Kinship Chief Executive, Lucy Peake said:

“Every day, kinship carers have to make the biggest decisions of their lives, often in the middle of a family crisis. One unexpected phone call can turn their lives and future plans upside down.

“Unlike foster carers who receive months of preparation and ongoing support, kinship carers have no notice and get little support, forcing many to lose jobs, pensions, savings and even their own retirement to keep a child they love out of the care system.

“No-one should be pushed into poverty, forced to give up their career, delay retirement, or risk their wellbeing for doing the right thing – stepping up to raise children and by doing so contributing £4.3 billion to the economy.

“Kinship carers provide children with love, stability and belonging. It’s time their extraordinary contribution to children and our society is recognised and they receive clear and immediate practical, financial and emotional support their families need.

“But in the absence of that crucial support we will continue to be there for traumatised kinship families desperately trying to navigate their way through their new roles and responsibilities.”

You can view the images of the seven kinship families and read their stories in our new documentary photography series ‘Unplanned, Unprepared, Unwavering’.

This Kinship Care Week, we are raising awareness of the vital role of kinship carers and about the support we offer across the country to ensure that every kinship carer gets the information, advice and support they need. Kinship’s free support for kinship carers includes:

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