- Around 5,000 vulnerable children and their families to benefit from pilot scheme to support kinship carers.
- £126 million of support confirmed specifically for family members such as grandparents, aunts and uncles who care for relatives’ children – the largest investment of its kind.
- Ambitious pilot in seven local authority areas to inform plans for expansion further down the line.
Thousands of children living in kinship care are set to benefit from earlier, more consistent support as the government today announces seven new Kinship Zones across England.
Kinship carers are adults who step in to provide a loving and supportive home to children in their family whose parents are unable to care for them full-time for a wide range of reasons. They are often grandparents, aunts, uncles or family friends.
These children have often experienced trauma and might otherwise end up in the care system, where outcomes in areas like education and health are significantly worse.
Currently, kinship carers do not receive consistent financial support, unlike foster carers and adoptive families. This is despite the fact that kinship care is shown to lead to better outcomes the residential care homes, with a 2021 report by University College London showing lower rates of long term illness and higher rates of employment for adults with a history of kinship care compared to those that grew up in foster or residential care.
The government is now trialling a financial allowance to eligible kinship carers, backed by £126 million to reach around 5,000 children, recognising the vital role carers play in the lives of their vulnerable children.
This starts with a pilot in the seven local authority areas announced today, with kinship carers to be provided with funding per child, equivalent to what foster carers receive.
These Zones will provide kinship carers with a financial allowance equivalent to the fostering allowance, as well as wider support for kinship families. Backed by £126m, these zones will test the impact on children of providing extensive support to family networks, as an alternative to the care system.
This ambitious pilot programme – the largest government investment in kinship care of its kind to date – will support around 5,000 kinship children, backed by over £126 million of new funding confirmed for the first two years with further funding to be confirmed in the next Spending Review period.
The pilot will run for up to three and a half years, with further expansion to be confirmed after evaluation.
Watch my speech in Parliament this week on the package of reforms the government is putting in place to support kinship carers and keep families together
The seven confirmed Kinship Zone local authorities are:
- Bexley (Greater London)
- Bolton (North West)
- Newcastle (North East)
- North East Lincolnshire (East Midlands)
- Medway (South East)
- Thurrock (East of England)
- Wiltshire (South West)
Josh MacAlister MP 