Scotland’s growing number of kinship families need more support, according to new research

New research has highlighted the need for children living in kinship care to receive more support, as the number of young people being cared for by family or friends continues to rise.

Published earlier this week by CELCIS (click here for more), the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection, for SCADR, the Scottish Centre for Administrative Data Research, Growing Up in Kinship Care looked at the data of more than 19,000 children and young people who lived in kinship care over a 10-year period.

According to the findings, being cared for by family or friends is the most common arrangement for children in care in Scotland, with almost one in three (29%) looked after through kinship care in 2019 – up from around 1 in 6 (16%) in 2008. What’s more, the research found that 40% of children who have been cared for by kinship carers did not experience any other form of alternative care, such as foster or residential care.

The research team brought together anonymised records for care experienced children, and linked these to records for the same children across education, Children’s Hearings, child protection, and health visiting datasets. Combining and analysing the data, CELCIS says, has given a much clearer picture and a greater understanding of the experiences and needs of these children and young people.

Highlights from the research included the finding that, while many children and young people living in kinship families thrive, kinship carers are often supporting children with complex needs, and therefore tailored support has become more important. Additionally, it found there is substantial regional variation in terms of how likely children are to live with kinship families, with higher numbers seen in areas of high deprivation, and many children and families would benefit from additional educational support.

Dr Robert Porter, Principal Investigator for this study at CELCIS explained: “More children being able to live with family and friends in kinship care is in line with both The Promise of the Independent Care Review and current Scottish Government policy and guidance, which sets out the commitment to children and young people being cared for within their own families and communities wherever this is possible.