Josh McDonald who is raising his younger brother following the death of their mum, has joined Kinship as our new Ambassador.
We are Kinship
The leading kinship care charity in England and Wales. We’re here for kinship carers – friends or family who step up to raise a child when their parents aren’t able to.
Let’s commit to change for kinship families.
Get support and advice
Watch a new film from CBeebies Parenting
As part of BBC’s Caring Matters Week we were delighted to be partnering with CBeebies Parenting – the parent and carer support community for CBeebies. On their platform you can watch an emotional story of kinship care, as Paul, a vicar living in the Lake District, tells how he brought his young goddaughter Sidney into his family full-time. He talks through the challenges and how his own children have risen to the occasion.
Upcoming training and events
As well as our roadshows, we run lots of free workshops for kinship carers, both in person and online. These cover a range of subjects to offer support for every step of your journey. See all upcoming workshops on:
Kinship Compass: find independent information, support and advice in your area
We know kinship care is complex and confusing. Use Kinship Compass to discover what support is available to you, both locally and nationally, to help you navigate your kinship journey.
Kinship care in England and Wales
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More than 141,000 children are in kinship care in England and Wales
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Nearly 1 in 5 kinship carers feel lonely often or always
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More than 1/3 of kinship carers experienced an income drop of more than 50% after stepping up to take on the care of a child
Financial allowances pilot for kinship carers
The government is announcing seven local authority areas in England that have been selected to take part in their long-awaited financial allowances pilot for kinship carers.
Latest news and highlights
Take a look at some of our latest news and highlights from across Kinship.
More than 6 in 10 (60.1%) kinship carers say their children are failing to get the specialist mental health support they urgently need to deal with their trauma, a new Kinship poll of over 1,000 kinship carers published today reveals.
The government is announcing seven local authority areas in England that have been selected to take part in their financial allowances pilot.
Find out how we're campaigning for change
Kinship care has been undervalued for too long. Research shows that kinship carers contribute £4.3 billion to the economy per year. Yet many are struggling to make ends meet. We think that’s not fair.
That’s why we’re calling on the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, to give all kinship carers the financial support they need.
Get information and expert advice
We provide information and advice on all issues affecting kinship carers. Browse our advice collections, take a look at some of our most popular advice articles below or contact our advice team for free, expert information and advice.
Find out how you become a kinship carer, and what to expect from the process.
Stepping up to raise a child can be expensive, and money worries are common for kinship carers. Find out what financial support and benefits are available to you.
How to plan and organise contact time with family to reduce stress and make it a positive experience for the child.
Join our community
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