- Kinship carers in England will receive financial support matching foster carer allowances through a government pilot.
- About 132,000 children in England live under kinship care arrangements with mostly insufficient financial support.
- Seven council areas are participating in a three-year trial to provide weekly allowances to kinship carers.
Grandparents and other family members who become full-time caregivers for children will now receive guaranteed financial assistance through a new government initiative. This pilot program aims to prevent children from entering the formal care system by supporting relatives who step in when birth parents are unable to provide care due to death, legal decisions, serious illness, or imprisonment.
Approximately 132,000 children in England currently live under kinship care arrangements. Most of these carers have received minimal or no state financial support despite managing substantial additional expenses. Many sacrificed employment opportunities to raise their young relatives and face significant financial hardship, with many already living on limited incomes vulnerable to poverty.
The pilot scheme, beginning this week, provides carers in seven local authorities with weekly allowances matching those given to foster carers, ranging from £170 to £299 depending on location and child age. A kinship carer outside London caring for a fifteen-year-old receives £13,832 annually starting in April. Importantly, this support does not reduce universal credit or child benefit entitlements and involves no means testing.
Charities and advocates have campaigned for over two decades to achieve financial recognition of kinship carers’ essential role and personal sacrifice. Research demonstrates kinship arrangements are substantially less expensive than foster or residential care while producing better health and employment outcomes for children. Kinship care preserves family bonds, cultural identity, and sense of belonging.
The trial operates across Bexley, Bolton, Newcastle upon Tyne, North East Lincolnshire, Medway, Thurrock, and Wiltshire over three years, initially supporting approximately 5,000 children. Charity leaders emphasize this scheme represents transformative potential but urge rapid expansion nationwide to reach all kinship families requiring equitable support and protection from poverty.
