Kinship Care Week 6 - 12 October 2025

This week is an opportunity to remember, support and celebrate all Kinship Carers. A Kinship Carer is an individual or couple who may be a relative, parent or family friend who has taken on the care of children and young people known or related to them. This involves making a decision to be available, trusted and depended upon within often complicated peripheral crisis circumstances. This decision is not just to step up for today, but for tomorrow and every tomorrow after tomorrow, accepting the unknown, being prepared to embrace uncertainty. Making a decision to be a Kinship Carer providing love, nurture, care, stability and security to those who are vulnerable, means a readjustment of life, plans, accommodation, futures, hopes and dreams. Thank you to all of you - what a huge difference you make to the lives of many.

For those kinship carers in Plymouth, a kinship forum is being held on Thursday 9 October to give local carers the opportunity to share feedback about their experiences and help shape the support on offer in the future. Find out more on https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/news/supporting-kinship-carers-plymouth

Trust Counselling South West offers Kinship Carers the opportunity to take up counselling support recognising the valuable and costly contribution they are making and acknowledging the potential for isolation, exhaustion and compassion fatigue. If any of this resonates with you, do please reach out for confidential, qualified counselling support today. You do not need to walk this path alone.