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Stimations of the number of children living in various forms of kinship care in the UK differ, as do the definitions. However, the figure could potentially reach as high as 160,000 – roughly twice the number of children under the care of local authorities. In some cases, there is an overlap where relatives become foster carers. Despite their significant numbers, these households have a lower policy profile compared to more formal care arrangements.
The situation may be changing, though. With the local authority care system facing dysfunction due to funding cuts, an increasing influx of unaccompanied children into the UK, and the negative impacts of marketization, some suggest that kinship carers could offer a solution – or at least a part of one.
One notable advocate of this view is Josh MacAlister. Tasked by the government to conduct an independent review of children’s social care in England and Wales, he produced a report recommending enhanced support for kinship carers. MacAlister presented evidence of improved employment and health outcomes for children cared for by relatives, along with a higher likelihood of maintaining sibling relationships. The government responded positively by announcing a small amount of new funding, and a new national strategy is set to be promised by year-end.
The substantial variations in the prevalence of kinship care arrangements within the UK and internationally indicate that policymakers have a role in establishing the conditions under which such decisions are made. In Scotland, around 30% of looked-after children are formally placed with kinship carers, which is significantly higher than in England and Wales. In several European countries, this proportion exceeds fifty percent.
These arrangements can range from court-approved guardianship orders to informal agreements. The government faces the challenge of creating a framework that benefits all parties, including care provided by friends as well as relatives. Tensions arise when a relative is compelled to choose between assuming parental responsibility for a child or becoming a foster carer and gaining entitlement to financial and other support services. The suggestion of a new kinship carer’s allowance, as proposed by MacAlister, offers a potential resolution to this predicament and should be explored. The fact that over three-quarters of kinship carers reside in deprived areas further emphasizes the need for action.
Similar to adopters, kinship carers should be entitled to paid leave from work and have access to support networks supported by local authorities. It would be sensible for Ofsted to consider kinship care when conducting inspections of councils. Furthermore, more research in this area is necessary.
However, it would be a mistake to view the increased usage of family placements as a quick fix for the numerous issues plaguing the children’s social care system. If keeping a child close to existing networks – friends, schools, familiar places – serves their best interests in most cases, this must be achievable within both the formal care system and outside of it. Promoting kinship arrangements must not serve as an excuse to neglect the serious problems stemming from a failing social care market, which includes the tendency of private care operators to establish facilities where property costs are lowest. Those who expect aunts or grandparents to pick up the pieces not only of broken families but also of a broken system will inevitably be disappointed.
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