New DfE appointee meets kinship carers in first official visit

Janet Daby MP met with a group of kinship carers last week to hear emotional stories of children being raised by relatives and family friends.

In her first visit since becoming Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Education, the Labour MP for Lewisham East and former children’s social worker chose to meet with ten kinship carers from London, at national charity Kinship’s offices in Vauxhall.

There are more than 141,000 children being raised in kinship care in England and Wales, more than double the number in foster care.

Ms Daby – whose official responsibilities within the Department for Education have not yet been formalised but has been tipped to assume the role of Children’s Minister – took part in a moving and heartfelt discussion, in which kinship carers told her about the urgent need for greater financial support for kinship families like them.

The grandparents, aunts and other relatives told the minister about the hardships they face and the stark contrast between the support available to foster carers and kinship carers. Others spoke about the emotional needs of the children in their care, many of whom have experienced early childhood trauma, and the lack of therapeutic support accessible to those ‘kinship children.’

“Opportunity starts with a loving, secure home and kinship carers play a crucial role by being the constant support in young people’s otherwise turbulent lives,” said Ms Daby.

“It was a pleasure to meet some amazing people who care for vulnerable children for my first official Ministerial visit today to hear about the challenges they face. They often don’t get the recognition or support they deserve.

“I will use my 15 years of frontline social care experience to be a champion for kinship carers and their children – making sure every one of them gets the opportunity they deserve. Today was a brilliant first step.” 

Kinship carer Barbara said she was “blown away” by the new appointee’s choice to meet with kinship carers on her very first visit in post.

“She gave the impression that she was genuinely listening to our concerns and was taking everything we said on board. I felt like we were being heard for the first time,” she said.

Recent research commissioned by the charity suggests that for every 1000 children raised in kinship care rather than in local authority care, the public purse saves £40 million per year while boosting the lifetime earnings of those children by £20 million.