Grandmother wants more support for kinship carers

Ruth shares a bedroom with her nine-month-old grandson

A woman who quit her job to look after her two grandchildren has called for more support for carers like her, saying she had been "forced into poverty".

Ruth is one of number of so-called kinship carers across England and Wales helping look after more than 141,000 children, often to prevent them being taken into local authority care.

The 61-year-old, who lives with her four-year-old and nine-month-old grandsons in a two-bed static caravan in North Yorkshire, said: "I wouldn't have it any other way, but it is exhausting."

The government said its "ambitious" reforms to the children's social care system would "help keep more families together safely".

Charity Kinship describes kinship carers as family or friends who step in to care for a child when their parents are not able to.

Speaking to the BBC, Ruth said she had been looking after her four-year-old grandson in 2023 and his brother since June, after being told he would likely be put up for adoption if she did not.

She said she had previously worked in a "dream job" but had given it up to care for the children.

She said she was now working part-time as a teaching assistant but her salary was not enough to move out of the caravan where she shares a room with the youngest boy.

"I'm very aware that as they're growing up, he can't be sharing a room with me," she said.

"He shouldn't be sharing a room with his brother either, which isn't big enough for two of them."

Ruth said her static caravan was not the right setting to raise two young boys

While there is some financial help available to kinship carers, such as Child Benefit, it is not at the same level provided to foster carers, according to Kinship.

Ruth said leaving her former job had seen her income drop by two-thirds.

"I was living day-to-day [as a result] and not knowing how I was going to survive the following week," she said.

"I did feel, and I told the authorities, that I thought they'd forced me into poverty."

Ruth said her caring responsibilities had also changed the relationship with her grandchildren.

She said: "One of the hardest things for me is you're not mum, you're not grandma.

"It's a role that doesn't really have a name apart from kinship carer, and I don't want to be a carer because they're my grandchildren."

Ruth is one of thousands of kinship carers who are struggling to look after loved ones

Kinship said that as well as financial difficulties nearly 1 in 5 kinship carers report that either they, their kinship child, or another child in the family sleeps in unsuitable conditions due to lack of space and support.

Chief executive Lucy Peake said: "It's outrageous that kinship carers, including grandparents, are having to sleep on floors and sofas so the children they love have somewhere to sleep.

"Many are spending savings and pensions, going into debt, and making daily sacrifices to raise children who have experienced trauma, separation and loss."

Josh MacAlister, the government's minister for children and families, said: "We have already announced that we will trial a financial allowance for kinship carers, and we are trialling family network support plans.

"We are also introducing a new law to make sure councils set out clear support for carers - breaking down barriers to opportunity for children by ensuring that they and their carers get the support they need."

He added: "Our ambitious reforms to the children's social care system will help keep more families together safely, reducing the number of children needing care across the country."

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