The programme follows the government’s response to Josh McAlister’s Independent Review of Children’s Social Care in England, which included a commitment to developing a National Kinship Care Strategy.
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DfE has given Kinship £3m to develop a training support programme, delivering both online and in-person training as well as resources on its advice hub, Kinship Compass. Resources and training will be developed alongside kinship carers and made available to all carers in England, regardless of whether they are subject to legal order around the care of a child.
There will also be a focus on engaging with underserved carers, including informal carers and those from minority ethnic communities. Kinship will partner with national organisations including the National Association of Virtual School Heads, BookTrust, the Anna Freud Centre, Place2Be and Kinship Carers Liverpool to deliver support.
The investment is part of a £9m fund pledged by government to support kinship carers in its response to the Care Review.
Kinship’s chief executive, Lucy Peake, said: “We are looking forward to working alongside kinship carers to develop a kinship-carer centered programme that provides practical and emotional support at every stage of a carer’s journey. This is not a responsibility we take lightly; we know that kinship carers have felt overlooked and undervalued, and many have waited years for change to a system which too often does not provide them or their children with the support they need. There’s much for us to do to develop and roll out an ambitious training and support service, and ensure we help as many kinship carers in England as we can.
“We look forward to hearing more from the government about how it will invest the rest of the £9m it committed for training and support for kinship carers.”
This comes as many kinship carers have considered giving up their roles amid financial struggles, according to a report by Kinship.
