Kinship carers given minutes to decide whether to take children into their care

Research from Kinship, published during Kinship Care Week, found that 72% of kinship carers had no time to prepare before taking on the care of a child, while 42% had less than an hour to decide and 19% had less than 24 hours.

More than 141,000 children in England and Wales are being raised by relatives or friends when their parents are unable to care for them, according to Kinship. The organisation said this is twice the number of children in foster care, but kinship carers often take on the role without the preparation and support available to foster carers.

The survey of more than 1,500 kinship carers found that 87% described the decision to take on a child as life changing, while 57% said they did not feel supported when they agreed to become a kinship carer.

Kinship Chief Executive Lucy Peake said: “Every day, kinship carers have to make the biggest decisions of their lives, often in the middle of a family crisis. One unexpected phone call can turn their lives and future plans upside down.

“Unlike foster carers who receive months of preparation and ongoing support, kinship carers have no notice and get little support, forcing many to lose jobs, pensions, savings and even their own retirement to keep a child they love out of the care system.”

The organisation said the consequences of taking on a child at short notice can extend across family relationships, employment and retirement plans. Almost half of those surveyed, 47%, said their relationships with family or friends had been strained, while 30% had postponed or abandoned plans to change career or take a new job.

A further 30% reported pressure on their relationship with a partner or spouse, while 20% had postponed retirement or returning to work.

Financial pressures were also widespread. More than half of kinship carers, 54%, said they struggled to afford their energy bills, while 47% had been forced to use savings to get by. Almost three in 10, 28%, were relying on credit more than usual.

The survey also found that 16% had gone without healthcare or dental treatment because they could not afford it, while 14% had skipped meals or used food banks.

Despite these pressures, 56% of respondents said being a kinship carer had brought joy to their lives.

Peake said: “No-one should be pushed into poverty, forced to give up their career, delay retirement, or risk their wellbeing for doing the right thing – stepping up to raise children and by doing so contributing £4.3 billion to the economy.”

Kinship said the findings demonstrate the scale of the contribution made by relatives and family friends who step in during family crises to keep children within their wider family networks.

“Kinship carers provide children with love, stability and belonging. It’s time their extraordinary contribution to children and our society is recognised and they receive clear and immediate practical, financial and emotional support their families need,” Peake said.

The research has been published alongside a new documentary photography series, Unplanned, Unprepared, Unwavering, which captures the experiences of seven kinship families who stepped in to raise a relative or friend’s child without time to prepare.

The series includes Kinship Ambassador Josh McDonald, BBC Gladiators champion, and his 16-year-old brother Max.

The photography project uses rare-access photography to explore the realities of kinship care and the experiences of families who have taken on responsibility for children during periods of family crisis.

Peake added: “But in the absence of that crucial support we will continue to be there for traumatised kinship families desperately trying to navigate their way through their new roles and responsibilities.”