'Plunged into poverty': are kinship carers getting the support they need?

Around 180,000 children who would otherwise be adopted or in care live with relatives or friends, but carers face a postcode lottery for assistance

“I have wondered how this would have ended if I had been a less vocal, expressive or determined person,” a grandmother told a Gloucestershire family court last autumn, after applying to be appointed special guardian to her infant grandchild.

She was successful, but was keen to air her criticisms of the “extraordinary experience”. She alleges there was poor communication from children’s services, she was wrongly told she was ineligible for financial support, and unexplained delays meant her grandchild was in foster care for longer than necessary.

Related: Scotland sets out to speed up kinship care system

Related: Can new partnership keep vulnerable children out of care?

Related: Ministers must do more to support kinship carers

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from Children | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2BKt757