Stories from kinship carers

Unplanned, Unprepared, Unwavering photography series

Meet Clive

Clive realised he had no time to prepare practically and very little time to process emotionally how completely his life was about to change.

Unplanned, Unprepared, Unwavering photography series

Meet Oly and Leasa

Unplanned, Unprepared, Unwavering photography series

Meet Rod and Julie

Unplanned, Unprepared, Unwavering photography series

Meet Alan and Julie

Alan and Julie said yes immediately to becoming kinship carers but nothing could have prepared them for the challenges they would have to face to ensure their granddaughter, Ella who has additional needs, received the support that she needed.

Meet Annette

Kinship carers to their three grandchildren

Annette (59) and her partner (69) are kinship carers to their three grandchildren (11, 11, and 9).

Meet Marion

Kinship carer to her two grandchildren

Marion is a kinship carer to her two grandchildren (8 and 12).

Meet Rosie

Kinship carer and Kinship volunteer peer support group leader

Rosie from Windsor, kinship carer shares her story of being a Kinship volunteer peer support group leader.

Meet Coreen

Kinship carer from London and volunteer Kinship peer support group leader

Coreen, kinship carer from London, share her story of being a volunteer Kinship peer support group leader.

Meet GJ

Aunt kinship carer and Someone Like Me volunteer

GJ, aunt kinship carer share her story on being a Someone Like Me volunteer.

Meet Ian

Grandfather kinship carer and Kinship peer support group leader volunteer

Ian, grandfather kinship carer, shares his story of being a kinship peer support group leader volunteer.

Meet James

Kinship carer from Shipley and Kinship volunteer peer support group co-leader

James from Shipley, kinship carer, shares his story of being a Kinship volunteer peer support group co-leader.

Meet Rose

Sibling kinship carer and volunteer Kinship peer support group leader

Rose, sibling kinship carer, shares her story on being a volunteer Kinship peer support group leader.

Meet Stacy

Why kinship carers need more support

Kinship carer Stacy shares how the lack of support impacted her when she began caring for her niece.

Meet David

Coping with grief at Christmas

Kinship carer David shares how he balances making Christmas special for his grandchildren while grieving the loss of his daughter and mother.

Meet Levette

The power of peer support groups

Levette, 68, is a grandmother kinship carer to her three grandchildren. Find out how peer support groups helped her find practical support.

Meet Poppy

The emotional impact of growing up in kinship care

Poppy shares her story of growing up in kinship care, and how she often felt invisible due to a lack of understanding about her situation.

Meet Kieron

Grandfather, kinship carer, roadshow co-creator

Meet Kieron, a grandfather kinship carer to his 3 grandchildren. Read about his experience of becoming a kinship carer and how he helped shape our Kinship roadshows.

Meet Bobbie-Jo

Kinship’s Advisory Group member Bobbie-Jo shares her reflections this Black History Month

This Black History Month, kinship carer Bobbie-Jo shares her reflections on the importance of recognition of - and representation for - carers from minoritised backgrounds.

Kinship Together Episode 6

Moments of joy

In this episode we revisit our previous conversations with kinship carers to look back on some highlights and moments of joy, those special memories that make all the hard work so worthwhile and rewarding.

Kinship Together Episode 5

"From this date to forever"

In this episode, we chat to Peter and Maxine who talk about how they took all their research on kinship and became peer support group leaders, where they share it with other kinship carers.

Kinship Together Episode 4

"Alone together"

In this episode, we speak to David who's been a kinship carer to his two grandchildren for around three years and shares his experience of supporting other kinship carers through Kinship’s volunteer service, Someone Like Me.