Kinship Care: Mental Health Services
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment her Department has made of the mental health support needs of kinship carers and the children in their care; and what steps she is taking to improve their access to appropriate services.
Answered by Josh MacAlister
All children, including those in kinship care, are entitled to access universal and targeted mental health services, such as NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services and mental health support teams in schools. Children in kinship care who were previously looked-after and are now subject to special guardianship or child arrangement orders may also be eligible for therapeutic support through the adoption and special guardianship support fund, which provides funding for essential services such as counselling, play therapy, and trauma support.
In October 2024, updated statutory guidance was published to clarify local authorities’ responsibilities in supporting kinship families, including access to appropriate services to safeguard and promote children’s welfare. Additional steps to support the wellbeing of kinship carers nationally include expanding peer support groups and delivering training for kinship carers.
The department continues to monitor feedback from those with direct experience to inform its approach to supporting kinship families.
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