Stories from kinship carers

Browse personal stories from kinship carers, sharing their experiences and what they've learnt on their kinship care journeys.

Portrait of David, a kinship carer, his partner and David's two grandchildren.

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.

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A child looking to camera, being held by a woman whose face is hidden.

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.

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Headshot of Kieron, a kinship carer, against a purple background.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Kinship Together Episode 3

"It's not just me"

In our third interview for the Kinship Together podcast, we speak to Marisa. Along with her mum, Marisa has been a kinship carer to her niece for seven years. She describes how they take on roles to provide a loving home environment, as well as the experience of running and finding companionship through a peer support group.

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Kinship Together Episode 2

"A sigh of relief"

In this episode of Kinship Together we speak to Graham, who has looked after two of his grandchildren for 14 years. He shares his experience of being a kinship peer support group leader and running a space for carers to communicate online through Facebook.

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A graphic with three houses against a navy blue background. Above the three houses, there is text that says The Kinship Together Podcast.

Kinship Together Episode 1

"I'd do anything for them"

In our first interview with a kinship carer we speak to Gillian, who has been looking after two of her grandchildren for nine years, and plays an important role as secretary of her kinship support group. She shares her kinship experience and the confidence and companionship gained through being part of a group of kinship carers.

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A graphic with three houses against a navy blue background. Above the three houses, there is text that says The Kinship Together Podcast.

Kinship Together podcast introduction

Why peer support matters

In this introductory episode of the Kinship Together podcast, Kinship's Chief Executive Lucy Peake explains kinship care, how peer support groups work and the fantastic impact groups can have on carers and their families.

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