Analysis

Taskforce calls to prioritise kinship carers

3 mins read Kinship care
Councils should give kinship carers more support and turn to them before other care arrangements, cross-party parliamentary report says.
The report recommends that local authorities should be compelled to pursue kinship care options for children as a “first port of call”. Picture: Apex
The report recommends that local authorities should be compelled to pursue kinship care options for children as a “first port of call”. Picture: Apex

Kinship care is a widely unrecognised, underappreciated and often poorly supported, says the first cross-party parliamentary taskforce on kinship care.

It states that local authorities are “not consistently exploring potential kinship care placements as a realistic option” despite 152,190 children in England living with kinship carers compared with 56,160 living in foster care and 2,190 placed for adoption.

“Having that familial connection is an important part of a child’s sense of identity and a feeling of belonging somewhere,” says Catherine McKinnell, MP for Newcastle North and chair of the taskforce.

Yet, the taskforce’s report states that kinship care placements are often organised “late in the day and rushed”.

IN NUMBERS

152,190 children in England living with kinship carers
2.5x more children live in kinship care than foster care
1 in 37 black children were in kinship care

Source: Children in care in England, DfE, 2018/19; *2011 census

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