The Princess of Wales visits a Kinship peer support group 

The Princess of Wales made a special visit to a Kinship peer support group in London on Thursday 25 May. She heard from kinship families about their experiences of raising the child of a relative or friend after they could no longer live with their parents.

Her Royal Highness met grandparents, aunts and uncles who have been supported by Kinship, including attending kinship carer peer support groups. While playing with some of the kinship carers’ young children, she heard about their day-to-day experiences of raising their children and the joys and challenges those experiences bring.

Kinship’s CEO, Dr Lucy Peake said: “Her Royal Highness’ visit shines a spotlight on kinship carers, who, for many years, have felt invisible and forgotten in our communities, but who play a vital role in raising the nation’s children, in loving and stable homes.

“Kinship carers face unique challenges, often welcoming children into their homes with very little notice. As they step up and make huge sacrifices to put the children they love first, it is so important that we give them all the support their families need.

“We are especially thrilled that The Princess was able to attend a Kinship peer support group, as our research shows that peer support groups give kinship carers access to emotional support, practical advice from others and a sense of belonging and community.”

We were also delighted that musician and TV personality Professor Green and his grandmother Nanny Pat who raised him were able to join us to talk about their experience of kinship care and their special bond.

It was a special and memorable day for the kinship carers who joined us to meet Her Royal Highness.

Research shows that kinship care enables children, many of whom have experienced trauma, to develop long-lasting, family relationships, and that well-supported kinship care leads to better outcomes for children compared to those in the care system.

As the leading kinship care charity, Kinship supports more than 10,000 kinship carers in England and Wales each year through our Kinship Community, tailored one-to-one support, an expert advice line, peer support groups, free training workshops and our website advice pages.