Next week is Kinship Care Week and Milton Keynes City Council is celebrating the role that kinship carers play in children's lives across the city.
Kinship carers are the grandparents and siblings, the aunts, uncles, and family friends who step up to raise children when their parents can’t.
This kind of support is provided to more than 200,000 children across England and Wales, yet many kinship carers do not take up the support they are entitled to receive.
Support for kinship carers is available from the City Council in the form of training and advice, financial help, and access to support groups. Contact the fostering team on postSGOsupport@milton-keynes.gov.uk or call 01908 253 206, to learn more.
Cllr Zoe Nolan, Cabinet Member for Children and Families said: "In MK, we believe in keeping families together and want children to remain with their families where it is safe to so. We really value kinship carers and know that children are happier when they can stay within their friends and family network.
"Kinship carers play an incredibly important role and yet many have not come forward for support. 85% of our kinship carers have qualified for additional financial help and we want to ensure the funding goes as wide as possible to all those who need it."
The City Council is also running various events to celebrate MK’s kinship carers.
This includes a special afternoon tea at Moulsoe Village Hall on Thursday 6 October from 11am – 2pm and is open to all kinship carers and special guardians in Milton Keynes.
Email postSGOsupport@milton-keynes.gov.uk if you’d like to find out more about this and other local events taking place.
