Government launches England's first ever kinship care strategy

The Department for Education had announced a new strategy to support kinship cares recognizing the work family members do in keeping children out of care.

Backed by a £20 million commitment the strategy plans to better support the thousands of kinship carers in England that provide loving homes to children who cannot live with their parents.

The government has confirmed it will provide an allowance to many kinship carers to match that received by foster carers - currently between £154 and £270 per week, per child. This is being trialed in up to 8 areas of the country and will help ensure that people do not have to choose between becoming a carer and being able to afford to support their families.

It will also expand the role of virtual school heads – education champions within local authorities – to cover kinship care. They will ensure that the education of children in kinship care is prioritised so they go on to have bright futures.

Children and Families Minister, David Johnston, said “Kinship carers do incredible work to support and nurture children who might otherwise go into care and I am very proud that the Government has published the first ever strategy for kinship care today.”

“Kinship carers are often hidden in plain sight and today’s strategy paves the way for them to be given the practical and financial support they deserve for the pivotal role they play in children’s lives.”

Dr Lucy Peake, CEO of leading kinship care charity, Kinship, said “The publication of the first ever National Kinship Care Strategy is significant recognition of the monumental role kinship carers play in transforming the experiences of hundreds of thousands of children, which has been overlooked and undervalued for too long.”