Kinship Care: Parental Leave
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has assessed the impact of not having access to statutory paid parental leave on kinship carers; and whether he is taking steps to consider options for improving employment support for kinship carers.
Answered by Kate Dearden
The Government’s Parental Leave and Pay Review will conclude in early 2027 with a set of findings which outline next steps for implementing any reforms.
In addition to considering all current and upcoming parental leave and pay entitlements, the Review is considering the needs of other working families who do not qualify for existing leave and pay entitlements, such as kinship carers.
The Government is also supporting kinship carers through other mechanisms and has recently launched a kinship pilot to support around 5,000 children by paying eligible carers an allowance equivalent to the Fostering National Minimum Allowance.
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