What is the Children’s Social Care Review and why does it matter to kinship care?

Expected to be published later this spring, The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care has the potential to represent a watershed moment for children’s social care in England.

Chaired by Josh MacAlister, the review began in March 2021 with a commitment to setting out a clear case for change and answering one key question: how do we ensure children grow up in loving, stable and safe families and, where that is not possible, ensure care provides the same foundations?

How are we ensuring kinship care is being included in the Children’s Social Care Review?

Here at Kinship, we are proud to have worked alongside kinship carers to ensure that kinship care is recognised and included as part of the review. We’ve supported kinship carers to share their experiences and aspirations for change with the Chair of the review, highlighting what an incredible difference kinship care makes to children’s lives and the long overdue changes needed  better support kinship families.

We’ve also arranged for the Children’s Minister and other MPs to attend support groups, whilst the Care Review team have also  heard from our brilliant North East Kinship Campaigners   hearing their stories and experiences first hand to help understand why kinship care deserves better support.

Finally, earlier this year we published our Out of the Shadows report which pulled together all of the evidence and expertise that we’ve gathered from our years of supporting kinship carers. This manifesto for change outlines the key changes that we want to see in the system, including access to independent information and advice, financial support for all kinship carers and improved practical and emotional support for all kinship families.

Continuing to campaign shoulder-to-shoulder with kinship carers beyond the Children’s Social Care Review 

When the care review announces its recommendations, we’ll analyse them against the policy calls we’ve made and we’ll work quickly to share our thoughts, aspirations and evidence with decision-makers who will be responsible for considering the review’s recommendations and making them a reality. We’ll be sharing our response on social media, our website and through our Community mailing list and amplifying your views and feedback too.

Following the publication of the Care Review, we’ll be continuing preparations for our national campaign that will launch this autumn. The campaign will raise the profile of kinship care even further. If you’re interested in hearing more and taking part then make sure you sign up to our Kinship Community.

In the meantime, we are incredibly grateful to all kinship carers who’ve shared their stories and expertise with us so generously through our support groups, advice line, surveys, Advisory Board and the Community.