We need to act now to support Kinship Carers

For years prior my sister had struggled with complex mental health needs and unaddressed childhood trauma which she coped with forming an unhealthy addiction to misusing substances. I felt saddened that my sister was invisible to the professionals and the judgements placed on her due to historical circumstances meant that social services already had made up their mind to seek an adoption placement for my niece.  

At the time I was supporting my sister and supported her to form a contact agreement with social services to allow her to have contact with her daughter during on-going court proceedings. I was shocked and dismayed that our first contact visit took place in an office room in the council building. My family and I immediately raised this to social services, as we felt that it was inhumane. We asked to take the visit downstairs in the library, a more appropriate environment to encourage bonding and quality time with baby and mother. 

Social services have a tendency to be risk-averse and making decisions without due consideration for a child-centred approach seeking to provide the natural loving care which should be afforded to all children. The mistrust of the system and hyper vigilant state of feeling pre-judgment for minority ethnic communities, significantly impacts further trauma from structural and systemic racism across many public agencies, not just children in social care. This needs to be addressed across key areas in the upcoming government strategy. 

On the final day of care proceedings in court, a special guardianship order was granted in my favour. The overwhelming emotions felt, tears of joy and happiness looking down at my niece in my arms. Taking in every detail of her; big brown eyes, tight curly coils and her big beautiful smile. I thought to myself this little baby girl has experienced loss and change to her primary carer, more than once and not even reached her first birthday. The pure innocence in her face, staring up at me to be that primary carer to now love and care for her unconditionally. 

The judge made her final remarks on the care proceedings, taking the time to acknowledge my niece was leaving state care to be with her birth family. Right where she belonged. For me this was the moment, it was all worth it. The battle my family endured with social services, led us to the desired outcome that my niece would have the opportunity to grow and understand her identity within her own family. 

Almost four years later, I reflect on my kinship journey thus far. There have been highs and lows along the way. But, I am amazed at how sharing my lived experience has impacted the conversation on kinship care. I felt ashamed and scared of being judged about my experience into becoming a kinship carer. Because, when asked what motivated me to become a kinship carer, the only response I have was to help my sister and to save my niece from being another statistic. Research has highlighted the high numbers of black children who are placed into state care, and tend to experience negative outcomes later in life.  

By sharing my story, it has helped to inform those in the position to influence and take steps to call on the government to recognise and better support all kinship carers and their children. It was being invited to speak with professionals part of the Adoption & Special Guardianship Leadership board (now nonexistent) which sparked by passion to speak up and advocate for other kinship families like mine.

By sharing knowledge and understanding experiences of those with lived experience can be an invaluable resource to creating new solutions to improve the outcomes for children and young people being raised in kinship care to thrive and live safely within their own family. 

As co-chair of the Kinship Care Alliance (KCA), a key focus for KCA members and I is coming together as a collective to influence and challenge those with power to deliver changes to benefit kinship carers. At the heart of KCA’s work is to strive for opportunities to stand alongside kinship families, making sure their voices, views and experiences helps to reshape priority policy asks. The government promised to deliver a ‘once in a generation change’ to children’s social care, such a bold and ambitious plan requires bringing the sector together alongside kinship carers.

We can only hope that the promise to deliver a dedicated kinship care strategy, will seek to enable meaningful and tangible outcomes which produce a difference to better recognise and support all kinship families.  I hope with the upcoming kinship care strategy that the long-term commitment and investment will ensure all kinship carers and their families get the support they need when they need it.

My own experience having to challenge to the Ombudsman, which outcome upheld that the council had not adhered to government guidance on financial support for special guardian carers having child-benefit deductions applied while receiving welfare benefits and being under paid as a special guardian carer. There is a clear disparity in the current financial support made available to kinship carers and this should be addressed by government, the further confusion for kinship families struggling to navigate across the wider sector and other agencies for information and advice on their eligibility to receive benefits and other grant assistance. This was my experience, not knowing that I was eligible to receive Guardians Allowance until I came into contact with a project worker from Kinship. 

This is an opportunity to introduce defining the term ‘kinship care’ to be clear and a simple definition which is written into Law. Family Rights Group have produced the proposal #TimeToDefine, which sets out a universal understanding of what kinship care is, seeking to be inclusive to kinship care arrangements and provide a minimum access to support and services to kinship families. The urgency needed for kinship carers and our children to be able to access support, with the full autonomy and freedom to exercise the right to family life without restrictions to promote the quality of outcomes for kinship children. 

About the Author: Shanayd Warren is leading with love to strengthen partnership working and a collaborative approach to providing vulnerable children in kinship care with stable homes within their family network. As a kinship carer with links to established organisations, Shanayd seeks to influence positive outcomes for children and young people living under kinship care. She is the Co-chair of The Kinship Care Alliance, with shared aims on the issues faced within kinship care and developing a joint approach across the sector, led in hand with kinship carers. She is also a member of the newly formed Kinship Carers Reference Group, chaired by the Department for Education. Follow Shanayd on Twitter: @Shanayd_