Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help local authorities support kinship carers.

The department recognises the important role that kinship carers play in caring for some of the most vulnerable children and the role of local authorities to support them.

The government has recently announced a £40 million package to trial a new kinship allowance in up to ten local authorities to test whether paying an allowance to cover certain costs, such as covering day to day costs, supporting them to settle into a new home with relatives, or affording activities to support their wellbeing, can help increase the number of children taken in by family members and friends. This trial will help us make decisions about future national rollout.

The government recently published the updated guidance for local authorities, the kinship care statutory guidance. This guidance outlines the framework for the provision of support for kinship children and kinship families.

The government also appointed the first National Kinship Ambassador who will work alongside local authorities to help improve their kinship practice and local policies, and ensure they are following national guidance. As well as providing bespoke support to some local authority teams, they will share learning nationally so that more local authorities can benefit from evidence of best practice. In turn, this will help to improve outcomes for children and families.