WELSH kinship carers and the huge contributions they make to the lives of local children and young people, were celebrated on Monday 7 October at an event for national Kinship Care Week.
Twenty-four #KinshipCarers came together for a tea party at the Heritage Park Hotel in Rhondda Cynon Taff, organised by leading kinship care charity Kinship to celebrate Kinship Care Week.
Member of the Senedd, Heledd Fychan, attended the tea party alongside Welsh Government officials and the Local Authority Fostering Team Manager, and listened to kinship carers share their experiences and why they are participating in Kinship’s #ValueOurLove campaign to improve financial support, employment leave and therapeutic support for kinship families.
Kinship carers are family members or friends who step up to raise a child or children whose parents are not able to care for them. They can be grandparents, aunts or uncles, siblings, other relatives or family friends. Kinship Care Week (7 – 13 October 2024) is a national awareness week that aims to celebrate the vital role kinship carers play in children’s lives and in our society. There are 141,000 children being raised in kinship care across England and Wales, more than three times the number in unrelated foster care.
At the event, kinship carers wrote out their dreams and wishes for the children in their care and hung them onto a ‘Wishes Tree.’ Later, Bonnita, a young person who grew up in kinship care, gave a moving speech about her experiences.
She said: “I’ve been under my grandmother’s care for about twelve years now. When I came to live with my Nan and started at a new school, I was given the chance to properly learn how to socialize and study.
“I was raised in a healthier environment where I felt encouraged to do well in school and make friends. Attending school more often and making the teachers aware of my circumstances got me the help I needed.
“I’ve always believed that kinship care offers a second chance to those who had a rough beginning.”
Kinship carers who need support can visit kinship.org.uk for free access to advice, information, peer support groups and training.
