Learn about Kinship’s research, informed by the experiences of kinship carers, and see how we use this evidence to call for change in law, policy, and practice.
For professionals:
Increasing participation in kinship care research
Kinship have partnered with the Centre for Child and Family Justice Research at Lancaster University on this research, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Impact Acceleration Award and the Department for Education. It is led by Professor Judith Harwin (Centre for Child and Family Justice) and the research team includes Kinship’s CEO Dr Lucy Peake and kinship carers Clare Walsh and Sharon McPherson.
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Study status: ongoing
Background and study aims
The difference that kinship care and special guardianship can make to children’s lives by providing stable homes is receiving unprecedented attention in policy and practice. What is missing however, is the voices, experiences and expertise of kinship carers in helping formulate the research agenda. They can feel they have “research done to them but not with them”.
The aim is to increase opportunities for special guardians and other kinship carers to influence future research about their lives, to help develop better evidence that can be used to improve services and support for families like theirs.
What does the study involve?
This project involves working with special guardians every step of the way so that they are able to shape resources to support the co-design of research initiatives from the initial idea through to the final output.
The project’s key outputs will be the production of a report on the findings and the development of a toolkit to guide future participatory research, whether that’s led by funders, academics or policy-makers.
Who can I talk to about the project?
If you are a special guardian interested in getting involved in the research, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact research@kinship.org.uk to express your interest and find out more.
Further information
Final reports from the project are expected in Spring 2024.
To learn more about any of Kinship’s research projects, contact research@kinship.org.uk.
See other related content
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Information, advice and support for professionals working with kinship carers.