The first ever kinship care strategy has been launched, shining a spotlight on the incredible extended family members keeping children out of care.
The Government's national kinship care strategy ‘Championing Kinship Care’ will provide an allowance to many kinship carers, matching that received by foster carers, which is currently between £154 and £270 per week, per child.
Foster care has also been bolstered with an additional £8.5 million, taking the total Government investment across this Parliament to £36 million, the largest ever investment in fostering in England. The funding will help to ensure there are more foster carers available to step up and look after children by extending recruitment campaigns, simplifying recruitment processes, and providing better support for existing foster carers to even more local authorities.
The new kinship strategy and extra foster care funding are part of a suite of initiatives launched today, which meet commitments set out in the ambitious children’s social care strategy, ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’, published earlier this year.
Commenting, Michael said:
"Last month, I posted about my visit to Frimley Green Community Centre to join a Kinship Care Strategy meeting that was organised by the brilliant charity, Family Rights Group, which gives valuable support to families providing kinship care.
"There, I met several local kinship carers and heard about the circumstances that led to them stepping forward to care for the children they look after. They told me about the difficult challenges they face, and their wishes for better financial, educational and mental-health support.
"I relayed all the powerful and important points they made to my colleagues in Government, and so I am delighted that the Children and Families Minister, David Johnston, has announced today that kinship carers are set to be better supported as the Government launches the first ever national kinship care strategy.
"As the Children and Families Minister says, kinship carers do extraordinary work, and I am incredibly grateful to Stuart Black, Trustree of Family Rights Group, for all he does and for arranging for me to meet local kinship carers last month at Frimley Green Community Centre."
Pictured, Michael Gove MP with Stuart Black and members of Family Rights Group at Frimley Green Community Centre
