Kinship families in the UK are raising over 200,000 children. They do this with love & commitment & determination to keep children in their family networks & communities. For many children, kinship care is the right choice & they thrive.
But kinship carers can face challenges. Too often arrangements are not properly recognised or funded. The responsibility is life changing & many carers take it on at personal cost to their own plans, finances, relationships, & health. Their children may have complex emotional & behavioural needs from difficult life experiences & accessing specialist support can be hard.
A 2019 survey conducted by the Family Rights Group found that over 50% of kinship carers, who had been in work, had to give up their job, & 75% stated that they were facing financial hardship. Almost 70% rated the help they had as poor.
It’s time for the government to give kinship carers the recognition, funding & support they deserve. Love alone is not enough to raise a child.
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