Celebrating Kinship Care week (5 - 11 October): Katie's Kinship Story

Kinship carers play a vital role in the lives of hundreds of children, often stepping in during difficult and unexpected circumstances. By providing loving, stable homes, they help children stay connected to their family, identity and communities while giving them the care and security they need to thrive.

To mark Kinship Care Week, we spoke to Katie, a kinship carer whose experience highlights the difference kinship care can make for children and families.

Katie cares for the two-year-old son of someone she supported throughout pregnancy and in the months following his birth. Having already built a strong relationship with the little boy, she often stepped in to help care for him before becoming a connected person and later a kinship carer.

Reflecting on how that journey began, Katie said:

“He was staying with us as a temporary measure. He settled in so well here and then the social worker asked me if we would be kinship carers. I’ve built a bond with him since he was born so it came pretty easy.”

Like many people, Katie had concerns about what becoming a carer might involve. However, she quickly discovered that support was available every step of the way.

“I wish I would’ve known about how much support you get. Everyone’s got a past. I felt like social services would be looking for the perfect parents, but actually they just want a safe and loving environment for the child.”

Katie credits much of her positive experience to the support she has received from professionals and fellow carers.

“He’s had some amazing social workers and we get a lot of support from our social worker as well. I will go to her for advice or just to check my thinking sometimes.”

“There are so many carers out there, there’s a lot of support and everyone tends to support each other. I’ve been on support groups and we’re all from the same area and they’re doing kinship coffee mornings now too”.

For Katie, kinship care is ultimately about putting children first and ensuring they can remain within their wider family network wherever possible.

“Even though there are a lot of children in the care system, a lot of them are still within their families.”

“It isn’t about your pride or your ego, it’s about the child.”

This Kinship Care Week, we want to thank all kinship carers across Lincolnshire for the love, stability and opportunities they provide to children every day. Their dedication helps children stay connected to the people and places that matter most, giving them the best possible chance to flourish.

*To protect the privacy and identities of those involved, all names used in this article have been anonymised. While identifying details have been changed, the story shared is genuine and represents the lived experiences of this kinship family.