Children's services
Walsall Council supports Kinship Care Week
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This week (7-13 October), Walsall Council is celebrating the incredible role that kinship carers play in children and young people’s lives, and the positive contribution carers make to society.
Kinship Care Week was first launched by leading kinship care charity in England and Wales, Kinship.
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.
When a kinship carer steps in to raise a child, their life can completely change, and carers can experience a range of highs and lows.
This year, the theme of Kinship Care Week is #ThisIsKinshipCare, which hopes to raise awareness about what life is really like for kinship families.
Poppy, 23, from Walsall, was raised in kinship care and said, “At times you can feel invisible because you’re a category that doesn’t get talked about as much.
“People don’t have the same understanding of kinship care as they do about going into care or being in foster care.
“People don’t really ask questions about it, people just assume it’s fine, and it means that you’re always having to fight against systems that don’t have the space for you.”
“ Kinship Care Week is an opportunity for us to shout about our amazing kinship carers and thank them for everything that they do for children and young people.
Anyone at any time could become a kinship carer, stepping up to raise the child of a family member or friend. It’s not always easy taking on a child who has had a difficult start in life, and kinship families often go unrecognised for the positive impacts they have on a young person’s life.
As a council, we offer a wide range of support for our kinship carers, also known as connected foster carers. This ranges from financial support, to 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.
Thank you to all the kinship care families in the borough. “
During Kinship Care Week, the council are hosting an afternoon tea celebration event for kinship carers on Thursday 10 October, to celebrate their successes and achievements.
More information about the council’s support can be found on our website: https://go.walsall.gov.uk/fostering/types-foster-carers/connected-foster-carers
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