Fostering
Kinship families in Walsall enjoy afternoon tea at Bescot Stadium
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Carers in Walsall enjoyed afternoon tea at a celebration event last week, to mark Kinship Care Week.
Around 70 carers attended Bescot Stadium on Thursday 10 October, to celebrate their successes and thank them for their commitment to children and young people.
Kinship care is when a child lives full-time or most of the time with a relative or close family friend, usually because their parents are not able to care for them.
It is estimated there are more than 18,000 children in kinship care in the UK.
Kinship Care Week is an awareness week led by a number of charities who work with kinship families, including national charity Kinship.
The day was an opportunity for the kinship community to get together, celebrate one another, share their stories and enjoy afternoon tea.
“ Our kinship families in Walsall are simply amazing – they are unsung heroes in our society.
Many of these people become kinship carers in unexpected circumstances, and they all make changes and sacrifices to their own lives, in order to support a child or young person who really need them.
Each and every day, kinship families are making positive differences to lives, and we want to say thank you to them, during Kinship Care Week and all year round.
You could really feel the positivity in the room last week, and it’s great to see carers build their own support networks with others in similar circumstances.
Thank you again to our fantastic kinship carers in Walsall. “
Leading charity Kinship works with Walsall Council to provide support for kinship families. Fiona Summers, Head of Programmes at Kinship said, “Kinship carers are transforming children's lives by providing a safe and loving home. It’s wonderful to celebrate the incredible contribution they make to our community during Kinship Care Week, and we hope that all kinship families know that we are here for them when they need support.”
The council offers support to kinship carers, also known as connected foster carers, such as financial support, an out of hours support line, plus plenty of opportunities to meet with fellow carers and build good support networks with people in similar circumstances.
More information about kinship care in Walsall can be found on the council’s website: https://go.walsall.gov.uk/fostering/types-foster-carers/connected-foster-carers
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