Bexley Included in Major Government Trial Offering Payments to Kinship Carers
Grandparents, aunts, uncles and family friends who step in to provide kinship care for children are set to receive financial payments under a groundbreaking new Government pilot scheme. The Department for Education has announced the largest national investment in support for such carers, with Bexley in Greater London among seven areas selected as Kinship Zones for the trial.
Understanding Kinship Care in the UK
A kinship carer in the UK is defined as a relative—including grandparents, siblings, aunts or uncles—or close family friend who raises a child full-time because the parents are unable to do so. Often referred to as "family and friends carers," these individuals provide crucial stability during difficult family circumstances. Currently, over 140,000 children in England and Wales live in such arrangements, which can range from informal family agreements to legal arrangements like Special Guardianship or Kinship Foster Care.
The Three-and-a-Half-Year Pilot Program
The pilot scheme will run for up to three and a half years across seven designated Kinship Zones: Bexley in Greater London, Bolton in the North West, Newcastle in the North East, North East Lincolnshire in the East Midlands, Medway in the South East, Thurrock in the East of England, and Wiltshire in the South West. The Department for Education estimates that approximately 5,000 vulnerable children and their families could benefit from the £126 million investment.
Children and families minister Josh MacAlister emphasized the importance of the initiative: "As a country we owe kinship carers our thanks and our support, and the new financial allowance which we're trialling as part of our plan for change recognizes the vital role they play ensuring families can stay together. These Kinship Zones will lead the way in showing the impact for children when we unlock the power of grandparents, aunts, uncles and other relatives who could care for their kin in the place of the care system."
Mixed Reactions from Advocacy Groups
While the pilot has been welcomed as an important first step, national kinship care charity Kinship has expressed concerns about its limited scope. The organization notes that the pilot will cover only around 4% of children in kinship care across England, leaving most families facing what they describe as a "postcode lottery" of inconsistent support.
Kinship chief executive Lucy Peake stated: "While it's welcome that this support is being piloted in a small number of local authorities to build the evidence for further roll-out, the pace of change remains far too slow. Most families will see no change, continuing to face a postcode lottery of poor and inconsistent support. While the pilot is positive for those included, it risks paralysing progress elsewhere."
Peake urged local authorities not to wait for the pilot's conclusion but to "follow the lead of the small number of areas already seeing the benefits of equal allowances to families and their budgets."
Broader Support and Economic Benefits
Jahnine Davis, the national kinship care ambassador, described the pilot as a "milestone" for kinship carers and the children they care for, noting that "for the first time, we have a government-led initiative that will not only examine how best to provide financial support for kinship families but will also encourage local authorities to look holistically at the support they offer and adopt a genuine 'think family' approach."
Dr. Jo Casebourne, chief executive of the Government-funded Foundations organization, which works to help vulnerable children, confirmed that her organization will evaluate the pilot to "help to build the evidence base and shape future support for kinship carers and the children they care for."
The economic argument for supporting kinship care is compelling. According to Kinship charity analysis, for every 100 children looked after in well-supported kinship care rather than local authority care, the state saves £4 million per year while increasing the lifetime earnings of those children by £2 million.
Political Perspectives on Kinship Support
Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrats' spokesperson on education, children and young people, acknowledged the pilot as "a welcome step in the right direction" but cautioned that it represents "a drop in the ocean" given that over 130,000 kinship carers across England currently receive little to no financial support.
Wilson emphasized: "Kinship carers are heroes who often step up overnight to look after vulnerable children. They have been neglected and left with little to no support for too long. The Liberal Democrats will continue to fight for all kinship families to receive financial support on a par with foster carers and a right to paid employment leave."
The pilot represents a significant shift in government approach to kinship care, though questions remain about how quickly support might expand beyond the initial seven areas and whether the financial allowances will be sufficient to address the complex needs of kinship families across the country.
