This recognition is long overdue. Through the efforts of kinship carer campaigners, there’s more political interest in kinship care and support for kinship families than ever before.
As outlined in Kinship’s manifesto tracker, the Conservatives have committed to “prioritising keeping families together where that’s best for the child through our Kinship Care Strategy”, whilst Labour has pledged to “work with local government to support children in care, including through kinship, foster care, and adoption”.
Meanwhile, building on active support from parliamentary champion and party education spokesperson Munira Wilson MP, the Liberal Democrat manifesto outlines an ambition to develop a weekly allowance for all kinship carers, extend Pupil Premium Plus to kinship children, and introduce paid employment leave for kinship carers.
Even the simple inclusion of the word “kinship” in a party’s offer to the nation shouldn’t be understated as a signal of how far this issue has come.
Building on decades of pioneering practice alongside local authorities and strong evidence from our research and support services, Kinship’s #ValueOurLove campaign has helped to mobilise a passionate and expert community of kinship carer campaigners who have devoted significant time and energy to put kinship care firmly on the map.
In just over two weeks, kinship carers and supporters have used our online tool to share our kinship care constituency map with more than 2,000 MP candidates, covering three quarters of all constituencies across England and Wales. In addition, kinship carers have invited candidates to their peer support groups to ask for their support if elected, attended constituency hustings and debates to voice their concerns, and questioned their future MPs on the doorstep.
The next UK government now has an enormous opportunity to harness this groundswell of support and maintain the momentum generated with the publication of the National Kinship Care Strategy for England at the end of last year.
But it must also move further and faster to deliver the urgent support which kinship families need and deserve – and this is the policy detail you’re unlikely to find in a manifesto.
Despite children’s services spending continuing to lead local authorities to the brink of bankruptcy and media headlines highlighting a rising number of children in the care system, children’s social care isn’t an electoral issue. Although it’s a priority for our sector, It’s not something which many in the electorate will put into their top list of issues or suggest is likely to swing their vote. As a result, party leaders inevitably put it in the ‘tricky problems for government’ box rather than make it a visible issue on the campaign trail.
That’s why our #ValueOurLove campaign manifesto outlines a three step plan for whoever forms the next UK government to get the sequencing of reform right. We first want to see the next government maintain the momentum and hit the ground running by accelerating existing plans made within the Strategy.
Next, they should deliver urgent support to kinship families which includes equalising financial support and establishing a right to paid leave from work, as well as bolstering therapeutic and educational support for children and access to training and support for their kinship carers.
However, in the long term, the next government must build a bespoke kinship care system that’s fit for the future by ending the current legal and postcode lottery and recognising the unique needs, strengths and experiences of all kinship families. This has to be done with and not to kinship carers and give kinship care the coherent legislative framework it needs to effectively support every family.
The hard work to deliver this begins on the 5th of July and we stand alongside kinship carers and the wider sector ready to support.
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Sam Turner is head of policy and public affairs at Kinship.
