Rising challenges for kinship carers in UK as government support falls short

The Guardian unveils that a recent report highlights the pressing issue of kinship carers in the UK, revealing that a lack of financial and emotional support is plunging children into poverty.

A charity has warned that children are being "plunged into poverty" due to insufficient support for kinship carers—relatives or family friends who care for children in times of crisis.

According to a new report, kinship carers, often grandparents, are twice as likely to rely on food banks and four times more likely to fall behind on bills compared to other adults.

The charity Kinship, which advocates for these carers, found that a lack of financial, practical, and emotional support has led one in eight carers to consider giving up their responsibilities in the coming year, potentially placing up to 18,000 children into an already strained foster care system. This report, which surveyed 1,300 carers in England and Wales, follows a warning from the National Fostering Group about a shortage of 12,500 foster carers in the UK, a 14 per cent increase.

Foster carers in the UK who care for 70,000 children receive training, support, time off work, and allowances averaging around £24,500 annually for each child. In contrast, over 141,000 children in kinship care in England and Wales are often supported by relatives who receive little to no financial assistance and have no entitlement to take time off work.   Fiona, 65, began caring for her grandson when he was just four and a half months old, giving up her well-paying job at a local factory in Dorset to manage the demands of looking after a toddler.

Now reliant on universal credit and food banks, she avoids using the heating unless absolutely necessary. Although she describes her grandson as “really sweet,” she faces challenges with his behavior and struggles to obtain help. “I broke down at school and said, ‘I can’t deal with this – this placement is going to break down if I don’t get any help.’ Suddenly, I got lots of support,” she explained.

“There should be a level playing field for carers.”   Rebekah, 63, is raising her two grandchildren after her daughter passed away unexpectedly in January 2020 due to an autoimmune condition. Despite their trauma, Rebekah noted that the children have not received any therapy. “We’re also facing significant financial challenges,” she explained. “Since I have a special guardianship order, there’s no additional support available.” Many kinship carers feel they were compelled to take on guardianship roles without being informed that this would come with less support compared to fostering.   “I receive child benefit, universal credit, and my widow’s pension, and that’s it,” Rebekah shared.

“It’s really tough. We’re struggling to cover the basics.” Lucy Peake, the chief executive of Kinship, emphasized, “Children are suffering due to the lack of support for kinship carers. While we recognize the need for financial assistance in foster care, we must also acknowledge that many children are living with grandparents, older siblings, or caring neighbors because their parents are unable to care for them.”

By Naila Huseynova