International Kinship Care Week (October 6th–10th)
This October 6th-10th, we will proudly celebrate Ireland’s second-ever Kinship Care Week. On behalf of the 10,000-12,000 children and young people in Ireland who live full-time in the care of relatives and friends, we are calling on all allies of kinship care to come together to celebrate, support, and spotlight kinship families. Let’s show kinship […]
Join our call for support of Kinship Care in Ireland
This International Kinship Care Week (October 6th–10th), Ireland joins a global campaign to champion families who step in when children need them most. When parents cannot care for their children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, or close family friends often step up. This is kinship care – a lifeline that gives children love, stability, and belonging, while […]
The survey for “parents who have experience with their child(ren) being in an informal kinship care arrangement” is now live
“As part of the ongoing Kinship Care policy work underway by the Department of Children Disability & Equality, we are pleased to inform you that the survey for “parents who have experience with their child(ren) being in an informal kinship care arrangement” is now live on the gov.ie website and it will remain open until 26th […]
Kinship families need to be valued
We need to fully recognise ‘kinship care’ within Ireland, says Kinship Care Ireland Co-ordinator LAURA DUNLEAVY A STARTING point is to ask and explain what is Kinship Care? Kinship Care is when children are cared for by a relative, or close family friend when a parent is unable to. This can be for a wide […]
Opinion: ‘We knew we would parent our grandson, we had no choice, but we also had no support’
https://www.thejournal.ie/readme/kinship-care-6244007-Dec2023/ One Kinship Carer says there are about 8,000 children in Ireland living with relatives that aren’t their parents, and they’re not receiving any financial support. WHAT IS KINSHIP Care? It is the instance where children are cared for by a relative, or close family friend when a parent is unable to provide that care. […]
Launch of the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use
Download the Report of the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use Press Release ‘AN IRISH MODEL FOR AN IRISH CONTEXT ‘- CITIZENS’ ASSEMBLY ON DRUGS USE PUBLISHES FINAL REPORT AND 36 RECOMMENDATIONS Chair Paul Reid calls for immediate implementation of findings to support and resource drugs services Minister with responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy welcomes […]
Call for Policy to fully recognise Kinship Care within Ireland
Both a spokesperson for Kinship Care Ireland and a Kinship Carer are available for media interview. Issued by Kinship Care IrelandWednesday, September 27, 2023. All Kinship Care arrangements need a policy for inclusion in social services A call has been made to formally recognise all circumstances of Kinship Care in Ireland – and to provide […]
Highlighting the Rights of Children and Young People growing up in the Care of Relatives and Family Friends
We are delighted that the Ombudsman for Children has drawn attention to the situation of children and young people in informal Kinship Care, in the Report of the Ombudsman for Children’s Office to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child pursuant to the combined fifth and sixth reports submitted by Ireland under the […]
Connecting with Our Colleagues in Family Resource Centres!
Kinship Care was delighted to attend the Family Resource Centre National Forum Event in Athlone, on October 12th 2022. Family Resource Centres provide much needed hubs within communities, where kinship carers can access support. See: https://www.familyresource.ie/
A Grandmother’s Story
Our colleagues in ICAAN have produced this video with support from the North-East Regional Drug and Alcohol Task Force and the Family Addiction Support Network in the Northeast, featuring a Grandmother who shared her story of taking on the care of her grandchildren. It is an experience that many grandparent kinship carers will relate to.