Peer support groups are a great way to meet other kinship carers, share your experiences and exchange advice. Find your nearest group.
Our work with the Ballinger Charitable Trust
If you’re a kinship carer in the Northeast, we’re funded by the Ballinger Charitable Trust to help you to access charity grants for essentials.
On this page
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What support can I access?
We’re delighted to have support from the Ballinger Charitable Trust to be able to help kinship carers in the North East to access charity grants for essentials.
Essentials include things like clothes, shoes, beds for your children, washing machines and fridges.
Support is for all kinship carers, regardless of your order.
How do access the support?
The support we can give you depends on what your kinship family needs. We’ll connect you with Elaine (our Senior Grants Officer) who will have an initial chat with you.
If you’re local, she might even meet you or come to your peer support group.
Elaine can help with you with:
- accessing to support from local grant making charities, such as the Greggs Foundation Hardship Grant
- she might run grant clinic or workshop in your peer support groups or local community centre
- signpost you to money management advice
Elaine works 2 days a week so we’ll need to make sure we’re helping kinship carers, where there is greatest need at the moment.
You can also talk to our national Advice Service who can support you to understand your benefits and signpost you to other organisations who might be able to help.
Please get in touch with us at programmes@kinship.org.uk to find out more about our grants support in the Northeast.
"Hello, I’m Elaine and I’m Grants Officer for Northeast. I’m proud that families let me into their lives to help and support them on their journeys as a kinship carer and when they have a need for a grant for a household appliance or to be signposted for support. Every day is different in my working week, and every family's needs are different too. I’m always here to help and support. "
Elaine, Senior Grants Officer for the Northeast
Celebrate Kinship Care Week 2024
Kinship Care Week is Mon 7 October until Sun 13 October 2024. It’s an opportunity to celebrate the incredible role you do! You can get involved by sharing your experiences.
Are you a kinship carer in the Northeast – do you need more help or support?
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