Research and practice
Our unique reach allows us to listen to the views and expertise of thousands of kinship carers each year, supporting our robust evidence base and helping us to make a strong case for change.
View all our research and reports
Kinship’s recent research
We carry out research and share it with decision-makers and others to call for improvements in law, policy and professional practice. View our latest research below or take a look at all of our research reports.
Handle With Care
Published ahead of Kinship Care Week 2025, Handle With Care shares key findings from our 2025 annual survey of more than 1,900 kinship carers.
Find out more
Raised by Relatives
This research project looks at the experiences of Black and Asian kinship carers in England. Conducted with Professor Julie Selwyn and Dr Priya Tah from The Rees Centre at Oxford University, and supported by the KPMG Foundation.
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Valuing Kinship Care in England
Valuing Kinship Care in England, published jointly by Kinship and The Centre for Care, highlights how kinship carers contribute £4.3 billion to the economy by caring for children who need a safe and loving home.
Find out moreCurrent research projects
We are working with a range of partners on research projects. Find out about our latest projects below.
Increasing participation in kinship care research
This research project aimed to increase opportunities for kinship carers to influence future research about their lives, to help improve services and support for families like theirs.
View Increasing participation in kinship care research
Understanding kinship carer networks to inform targeted support
This study aims to understand the role of support from family, friends and community groups for kinship carers from different backgrounds.
View Understanding kinship carer networks to inform targeted support
"The Forgotten 10%": private family law cases involving non-parents
This research is looking at the roughly 10% of private law cases that involve 1 or more adults who are not the child’s parent, such as grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings and step-parents.
View "The Forgotten 10%": private family law cases involving non-parentsHow our research helps influence policy
We call for improvements to law and policy based on our evidence-based research and the lived experience of kinship families. Find out about the impact of our policy and influencing work.
Policy and influencing
Kinship convening the kinship care sector
The Kinship Professionals’ Network has been meeting for more than 18 years and now connects over 1,000 professionals who engage with the network through online meetings, in-person knowledge exchanges, and shared learning.
Join our Professionals’ Network
It is free to join and is open to social workers, academics, policy and sector leaders and all other professionals (e.g. virtual school leads) with an interest in kinship care. The network meets quarterly. Most meetings are held online, alongside periodic in-person knowledge exchange events. All sessions are facilitated by Kinship.
The network provides a space to connect with fellow practitioners and researchers, to share and develop practice in kinship carer support, and to stay informed about policy developments. Members also receive an e-newsletter with updates on research, policy, campaigns, events, and learning from across Kinship’s work.
Kinship’s long-standing single focus on the needs of kinship families has established itself as a trusted, independent bridge between kinship carers and professional services. With over 20 years of expertise and a strong track record, Kinship brings a relational approach and credibility as a critical friend to local authorities and national stakeholders alike. This includes shaping policy at a national level and holding trusted relationships with central government, while remaining grounded in, co-production, widening access to knowledge, and learning.
Alongside its wider role, the network provides trusted access to smaller communities of practice that bring together local authorities to explore emerging developments and shared challenges in kinship support.
Kinship convening communities of practice
From this wider professional network, two more focused communities of practice have formed.
The first is the Local Offer Insights Group. This group meets regularly to share learning, reflections, and challenges around the implementation of the statutory kinship local offer. It is primarily attended by kinship leads, service managers, and team managers, alongside virtual school leads and other professionals with a strategic or system-wide role. The focus is on how local offers are being shaped, delivered, and experienced across different local authorities.
The second is a practice focused community of practice, centred on on-the-ground kinship practice. This group brings together practice managers, social workers, senior social workers, and other practitioners, including virtual school colleagues. The emphasis here is on day-to-day practice, professional judgment, relational work with families, and how policy and guidance are translating into lived experience for kinship families.
Together, these communities of practice create connected spaces for learning and sharing insight.
Join our Researchers’ Network
Join our Researchers’ Network to stay updated with the latest research into kinship care and meet others working in this area.