Kinship carers 'left poor and homeless by welfare changes'

People who give up work to raise child relatives report benefit caps, evictions and sanctions

Family carers who agree to give up work to become full-time “parents” to the children of relatives, in order to prevent them being taken into care, are being left penniless and homeless by welfare changes, campaigners say.

Kinship carers, hailed by ministers as “unsung heroes”, are typically grandparents, aunts or older siblings who step in voluntarily to bring up child relatives after the birth parent dies or is unable to continue because of illness or neglect.

Related: Adoption and fostering are not the only options. It’s time to invest in kinship care | Louise Tickle

Related: 'Kinship carers' denied thousands of pounds over two-child cap

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2GGBwKp