Jordan Hall

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Kinship Care spotlight session focused on kinship families raising children with special educational needs and disabilities. The session will be on Wednesday 10th September and will hear evidence from Contact, Families in Harmony, Kinship, IPSEA and the National Organisation for FASD. The APPG is supported by Family Rights Group.

This week our APPG will hold a second spotlight session on kinship families raising children with special educational needs and disabilities💡

We will hear evidence from
@contactfamilies.bsky.social
#FamiliesInHarmony
#Kinship
#IPSEA
@nationalfasd.bsky.social

Government’s Parental Leave and Pay Review to explore employment leave entitlements for kinship carers. Melanie Onn MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Kinship Care, said: "The Parental Leave and Pay Review is a major opportunity to take a comprehensive look at how leave entitlements support the balance of family life including care commitments, alongside remaining in work and supporting economic growth. Our APPG, working with kinship families across the country and campaigning charities, has made the case for why kinship carers stepping in for children are a crucial part of that picture. The evidence on the potential benefits of kinship leave entitlements to children, kinship carers, the economy and the exchequer is compelling. We strongly welcome the inclusion of kinship families in the Review and will work to ensure as many families as possible can contribute."

Today the Government has announced the Parental Leave and Pay Review.

Our APPG strongly welcomes the inclusion of kinship families in the Review's remit.

Group Chair @melanieonnmp.bsky.social responds:

Thanks to MPs & Peers on @appgkinshipcare.bsky.social
for raising the challenges some kinship families are facing booking appointments for the children they are raising to receive crucial therapeutic support. Government must confirm funding ASAP.

@melanieonnmp.bsky.social @munirawilson.bsky.social

Our free specialist advice service helps families across England to work with children's services.

Families get critical support, children safely avoid the care system and savings are made for the Exchequer.

Thanks @chrismcdonaldmp.bsky.social for highlighting our impact in Parliament.

For councillors/lead members for children's services - there's still time to sign up for @familyrightsgp.bsky.social's briefing tomorrow. We'll be covering the Children's Wellbeing Bill and the new duty it will create for family group decision making before children enter the care system.

How will the Children's Wellbeing Bill impact children deprived of their liberty? This week, MPs continue to scrutinise the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. The Bill proposes to make several significant changes to the way our child welfare and family justice systems operate.

As the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill continues its passage through Parliament this week, we've taken a closer look at the provisions for children deprived of their liberty.

Read our blog from Frances Edwards, legal adviser at Family Rights Group:
www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-ch...

Changes to reporting of family courts hailed as 'watershed moment' - CYP Now Journalists can report from family courts in England and Wales from today, in what the most senior family judge described as a “watershed moment for family justice”.

From today, reporting restrictions have been eased on family court proceedings across England & Wales.

@angelafrazerwicks.bsky.social and @clarewalsh.bsky.social supported the judiciary on piloting these measures in a way that is sensitive to families.

Read more:
www.cypnow.co.uk/content/news...

A briefing from Family Rights Group for councillors on family group conferences, Thursday 30th January 12 noon to 1pm. Text over an image of a council chamber.

🗓️Exclusive online briefing for councillors including lead members for children's services in England. Join us next Thursday to explore the Children’s Wellbeing & Schools Bill and how your authority can deliver the new mandate to offer family group decision making meetings. frg.org.uk/events/counc...

A slide which reads Family Rights Group's briefing session on the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill

The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill entered the next stage of parliamentary scrutiny this week. We've been working to ensure the Bill is as strong as possible, in supporting children to remain safely in their family.

The Labour Government's plans for children's social care are set to be a game changer, putting families in the driving seat - if done right. @cathyashley.bsky.social and I have written for Progressive Britain on lessons from New Zealand and UK best practice.

Solutions for children, by those who love and care about them - Progressive Britain Family Rights Group's Chief Executive Cathy Ashley and Head of Public Affairs Jordan Hall give expert analysis and guidance to the Government's Children's Wellbeing Bill.

Children's Wellbeing Bill could be a game changer for children's social care in England. Giving families the chance to come up with solutions.

@cathyashley.bsky.social @jordanbhall.bsky.social write for Progressive Britain about lessons from New Zealand

www.progressivebritain.org/solutions-fo...

📢Today, MPs debated the Children’s Wellbeing & Schools Bill – a huge opportunity to reform child welfare!

It includes families having the opportunity to come up with solutions before children enter care & a new local kinship care offer.

Our analysis 👇
frg.org.uk/policy-and-c...

Parish notice: am looking for a couple of people (ideally grad students with pol science or history background) to help me out with some research for a project I’m working on. Will pay for the time. DM if interested or send on to someone if you think would fit the bill.

Family Rights Group's 'angel in disguise' honoured by the King. Beverley Campbell, Adviser and Family Participation Officer, receives MBE.

Congratulations to Beverley Campbell who has received an MBE in His Majesty’s New Years Honours 🎖️

Beverley is our family participation officer & one of our expert advisers. One mother Beverley advised described her as “an angel in disguise.”

Read more:
frg.org.uk/news-blogs-a...

Thrilled that Beverley Campbell had been awarded an MBE for services to #kinshipcare. Described as an angel in disguise by many families who she has supported, Beverley is the family participation officer @familyrightsgp.bsky.social & tour de force behind our thriving kinship & parents' panel

End of year round-up from the APPG on Kinship Care From a relaunch of the Group in September to a major new Bill in December, it's been a busy Autumn.

📨Read a round up of the Group's work since the general election

mailchi.mp/8091321ee67e...

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Kinship Care has written to the Children's Minister about financial support for kinship families

Our APPG has written to Children’s Minister
@janetdaby.bsky.social with questions about the Government's plans around financial support for kinship families, including:
the kinship financial allowances pilot
inequalities in special guardianship allowance provision

Read:
frg.org.uk/wp-content/u...

Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill - All local authorities will be mandated to offer families the opportunity to come up with solutions before children are removed to the care system.

Solutions for children designed with the people who know them and love them.

That's a central principle of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill presented to Parliament today.

We strongly welcome it🧵

Our 50th party in Parliament celebrated our work to improve child welfare 🌟

Including Lifelong Links, created with children in care, to build lasting relationships with those who love them 👨‍👨‍👧‍👧

Thanks to Ashley John-Baptiste, Fred Again, Josh MacAlister MP & @alistrathern.bsky.social for joining us

🔺Investigation

We gained rare access to spend 3 days on the frontline with children’s social services.

We found a rise in referrals driven by poverty, the housing crisis, and staff pushed to burnout.

“A child's death is on every social worker's mind.” www.itv.com/news/2024-12...

Stark regional & local variations in % of children in care who are raised by family & friends (aka kinship foster carers).
This isn't okay.
All councils should be robustly exploring, including through the offer of a family group conference, whether a child can live safely in their family.

It's a friendly place, and people look out for each other. But growing up gay on Teesside, it didn't always have that same feeling of a 🏳️‍🌈 community. So it's lovely to see my hometown in a different light. And as with Heartstopper, uplifting to think young queer Teessiders now have a better start.

So, 1 episode of Smoggie Queens soon turned into all 6! A big, gay, northern, silly celebration of Boro & it's queer side 😍

IYKYK - Frank's Factory Flooring. The Teesside Princess. The "dirty as anything but beautiful” parmo. Nights in Empire - although with more leather than I remember it...

Local government finance policy statement 2025 to 2026

The Government has published the Policy Statement ahead of the Local Government Finance Settlement in December:
www.gov.uk/government/p...

From YouGov: Three quarters support assisted dying law

Chrissi, a grandmother kinship carer in County Durham, spoke to #5News about stepping in to raise her four grandchildren and being forced to give up the job she loved.

Our new survey research shows this is too common with 2 in 3 kinship carers have to give up work or reduce their hours.

Tune in to Channel 5 News at 5pm today - we have some exciting new research to share 👀
#ActForKinshipCare #SameLoveSameLeave

Tax due if parents hand on £3m house: £940k
Tax due if parents hand on a £3m farm: £0
A reminder of significant tax advantage to farmers vs everyone else AFTER these changes

Children's social care hasn't often had the attention it deserves

Very refreshing to see a busy cross-party debate in Parliament on the issue this afternoon.

And strong ambition for helping families early, supporting children to stay safely in their family & delivering better for children in care