This week, 5-11 October 2026, we're supporting Kinship Care Week.

Kinship Care Week is a time to shine a light on the vital role of kinship carers – relatives and friends who step up to raise a child when their parents are unable to.

Across England and Wales, more than 141,000 children are being raised in kinship care, growing up in loving and stable homes that keep them connected to their families, roots and community.

Kinship carers are grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, and family friends who take in children often at a moment’s notice and with little to no preparation. They may be caring under a legal arrangement like a Special Guardianship Order or as a kinship foster carer or be raising children informally without a legal order. Whatever their situation, they all play a crucial role giving children, most of whom would otherwise be in the care system, safety, stability and belonging.

This Kinship Care Week is all about celebrating the unbreakable bonds at the heart of kinship families – and the communities they build to support one another - while highlighting the realities of stepping up to care for a child who has had a difficult start in life.

Because kinship families should be recognised, valued and supported – and Kinship Care Week is a key opportunity to come together to celebrate all that they do every single day.

This year also marks a significant milestone celebrating the tenth anniversary of Kinship Care Week. A decade ago, many kinship families felt invisible. Today, their voices are shaping national conversations, services and decisions that affect their lives. That progress is worth celebrating, driven by the extraordinary love, resilience and commitment that kinship families show every single day.

This Kinship Care Week we're joining the effort to make sure the experiences of kinship families are seen, heard, and better understood.

To find out more about Kinship Care Week 2026 and how you can get involved, visit the Kinship.org website.