Shining a light on Kinship Carers

It’s a time to shine a light on the vital role of kinship carers, those raising a child of a family member or a friend, who provide over 141,000 children in England and Wales with loving and stable homes.

This includes grandparents, aunts, siblings,  family friends and others who are connected to the child, who step up in extraordinary ways to keep children connected to their families, roots and communities.

We spoke with Lincolnshire Kinship carers, Janine & Bryan about their experiences as they became kinship carers for their grandson. From the in-depth assessment process to the conflicting emotions that come with it.

“The process is very in-depth, they want to know the whole of your history and check references from your friends, it’s quite a process.” says Bryan. Janine added “It’s very stressful going through the assessment, whether you’re going to pass or fail. I get it. I got quite stressed and emotional.”

“Kinship care is not a new thing. When we were growing up back in the 60s and 70s, we knew people that were living with their aunties, uncles and grandparents. It was different back in them days and we accepted it.” Bryan told us..

“It’s not about you, it really isn’t. It’s about the child. That’s what you have to remember in this process. The social worker is making sure that child is in a safe, family friendly environment, and that’s it.”

They also added “There’s more [Kinship carers] out there than you know because everybody just does it.”

Kinship Care Week reminds us that there is a powerful community of kinship carers who share their experiences in many different ways to help other kinship carers feel less lonely and isolated.

“It can be very difficult but can also be a very positive journey. Some grandparents have never had contact with their grandchildren and they’re finding themselves at the playground or the seaside. It’s given them a new lease of life.” Says Rosalind, a social worker for kinship carers at Lincolnshire Fostering Service.

Equally it can be very challenging as there’s a lot of change in being a parent in the last 20-30-40 years with the added pressures of the internet alongside conflicting feelings of becoming a kinship carer.”

Team Manager, Emily McAllister reflected:

“Kinship care is complex and has, historically, not always received the recognition it deserves. Here in Lincolnshire, we deeply value the extraordinary commitment of our kinship carers, who provide stability, nurture, and love to children they know, often during the most challenging times in those children’s lives.

Kinship care is, at its heart, a profound act of selfless love. We are immensely grateful to our kinship carers for all that they do-and even more importantly, so are the children whose lives they transform.”

To find out more about the #KinshipCareWeek, visit https://kinship.org.uk/get-involved/kinship-care-week/