Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential merits of increasing the provision of financial support available to kinship carers.

The department recognises the important role that kinship carers play in caring for some of the most vulnerable children and this government is determined to give every child the opportunities they deserve. Kinship carers play a crucial role in delivering this.

At Budget, the department 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 the department make decisions about future national rollout.

This is the single biggest investment made by government in kinship care to date. This investment could transform the lives of vulnerable children who can no longer live at home.

Departmental officials and I will continue to work across government to implement the new kinship allowances trial and to learn from this to inform any future policy.