You are here: News Durham MP launches new kinship carers support network
Roberta Blackman-Woods MP today (Wednesday 23 September) launched a new support service to help people in Durham and Darlington who have taken over the caring responsibilities for the children in their families, often under difficult circumstances. Many of the children they are raising would be in the care system if relatives had not stepped in.
The new support service – run by the Relative Experience project - will provide a one-to-one befriending scheme for kinship carers by trained volunteers, and will help families link with local authorities and campaign for better rights.
There are up to 200,000 grandparents and other family members, known as kinship carers, raising up to 300,000 children across the UK.
In the year between April 2013 and March 2014 there were 45 Special Guardianship Orders and 15 Residence Orders (now Child Arrangement Orders) made to children who were previously ‘looked after’ by the local authorities across Durham and Darlington. Statistics show that about 85% of these orders will have been made to kinship carers.
Speaking at the event, Roberta Blackman-Woods said:
"I'm really pleased to be at the launch of this very important network to give support to grandparents who take on huge caring responsibilities for their loved ones, often without financial or practical support. As a society we need to do more to support grandparents who are bringing up their grandchildren."
Children living in kinship care and their carers are not entitled to financial or practical support in the same way as children in the care system. Relative Experience wants children to get support based on their needs rather than their legal status. Campaigners also want carers to have the same rights as adopters, who are entitled to paid employment leave, as well as training and support.
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Contact: Mark Bou Mansour, Communications and Campaigns Manager. Telephone: 0207 940 7535, mobile: 07538 334 772, email: mark@familyandchildcaretrust.org.
About Relative Experience
Relative Experience was created by the charities Grandparents Plus, Family Lives and the Family and Childcare Trust, and provides peer to peer support from trained volunteers for grandparents and family (kinship) carers who have stepped in to raise a child in a crisis situation. Without the care of their grandparent, aunt or uncle, they would be in the care system.
The project focuses on those carers aged over 50 who may be experiencing isolation, stress, and substantial challenges, and trains volunteers to offer support. Funded by the Big Lottery Fund Silver Dreams Fund, the project has over £1million of funding to invest across the North East of England until 2017. There are currently 29 volunteers helping 35 families across the region.
Go to http://www.grandparentsplus.org.uk/relative-experience-project for more information.
About Grandparents Plus
Grandparents Plus is the national charity which champions the vital role of grandparents and the wider family in children’s lives, especially when they take on the caring role in difficult family circumstances. The charity runs an Advice and Information Service for grandparents and other kinship carers and a peer Support Network. Telephone 0300 123 7015 Monday to Friday from 10am to 3pm or go to www.grandparentsplus.org.uk for more information.
About the Family and Childcare Trust
The Family and Childcare Trust aims to make the UK a better place for families. We are a leading national family charity in the field of policy, research and advocacy on childcare and family issues, with over 40 years’ experience. Our on-the-ground work with parents and providers informs our research and campaigns. We focus on the early years and childcare because they are crucial to boosting children’s outcomes throughout life and supporting parents to work.
About Family Lives
Family Lives has over 30 years of expertise in delivering direct services to families. Their free helpline (0808 800 2222) receives over 120,000 calls each year, visit www.familylives.org.uk