A new report, published by the cross-parliamentary taskforce on kinship care, finds kinship care is a “crucial but neglected part of the children’s social care system”.
It is often regarded as an afterthought, the report states.
“The taskforce believes that the wider family and community is often an untapped resource which could be better supported to keep children out of the care system,” MPs add.
The report, First Thought Not Afterthought, shows that local authorities are not consistently exploring potential kinship care placements as a realistic option.
When they are “it is often late in the day and rushed”, it states, adding that if at least 20 per cent of looked-after children in every local authority across England were being raised by kinship foster carers rather than in unconnected placements, there would be at least 5,932 more children living in their family network.
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