The EU Kinship Carers Project aimed to improve support for kinship carers and prevent harm for children living with them. Interviews found that kinship carers have significant needs including financial stress, social isolation, poor physical and mental health from exhaustion. They felt unprepared to support children's education or deal with risky behaviors. Children experienced damage from their biological parents and carers were worried about drugs and alcohol. The literature review found kinship care should have comparable support to other forms of care. Conclusions were that governments must address financial and legal issues for carers, who desire information, peer support, and feeling appreciated by services.

1. Forgotten Families: learning from the EU Kinship Carers Project

2. “I am desperate for my granddaughter to grow up and become a beautiful, bright young woman with so many opportunities at her fingertips; she deserves it following the life she has had so far.” Carer - UK

3. The EU Kinship Carers Project Aim to improve the quality of prevention programmes targeting children and young people living with kinship carers, thus preventing vulnerable children and young people from experiencing harm as a consequence of alcohol or drug use.

4. Project Outline Interviews with carers to assess needs Literature review to assess promising approaches Develop and pilot national resources to support carers and children Create training materials to support professional practice Disseminate and evaluate

5. Findings Carers Needs

7. Duty

8. Guilt

9. Stress

10. Confusion“It is a heavy and long procedure to take the child from the parents to the care of the grandparents. . A brochure how this procedure would look like and support from professionals instead of immobility and surprise would have made us feel more at ease. Now taking such steps sucks our energy and it is emotionally very heavy.” Carer – Belgium

12. Not everyone, but majority

13. Financial

14. Returning to work

15. Stopping work

16. Housing

17. Food

18. Making children feel normal

19. Unintended consequences“We do not have a washing machine - it’s so hard to wash the children’s clothes by hand; the children need a computer as all the other children from the community have.” Carer – Romania “As the house is bigger I need to use more gas and electricity to heat it so my bills rocket through the roof each month.” Carer – UK

21. Isolation – loss of adult friends

22. Social stigma

23. Feeling unprepared

24. Relationships with family

25. Sometimes positive

26. Sometimes negative"It has been a long time since I have been out. I am alone... my grandchildren are my friends.” Carer – Lithuania “We have received support from both families. The experience has been very rewarding”. Carer – Spain

28. Exhaustion

29. Depression

30. Physical health

31. Put needs of children ahead of their own"Very tired, and sometimes do not even want to live” Carer – Lithuania “I came here today feeling that I just wanted to give up and now that I have met these people here I have hope that things will change around for me.” Carer - UK

33. Lack of consistency

34. Lack of empathy

35. Fear of authorities

36. Feelings of humiliation“They make you feel so stupid and so sometimes I just agreed to what they were saying in order to get the meeting over and done with.” Carer – UK They feel scrutinized in every inch of their being. This creates inferiority complex and a feeling that you have to beg, for money or help. It is an unhealthy structure. Mentor Sweden

37. Findings Children’s Needs

38. “I would never say to her that she is different ‘cause I have tried to bring her up in a normal and loving environment as much as possible. But the truth is, she is different; she doesn’t live in a happy home with her mum and dad, she lives with Gran. Her mum’s a junkie and her dad is a good for nothing loser who doesn’t care for her.” Carer - UK

40. Carers feel ill-equipped to support children’s education

41. Concerns about behaviour in school“We never had the subjects at primary school as they are taught now. This makes it difficult to support our grandchild with homework.” Carer – Belgium "The problems started after 11-12 years. Already at the age of 12 she began run from the school and is in bad company.” Carer – Lithuania

43. Carers worried about children being vulnerable

44. Carers feel under-informed

45. Expect schools to deliver“We would need support in talking about drug abuse without blaming the parents.” Carer – Belgium "Maybe the school would help to show videos, interviews and lectures about the injury.” Carer – Lithuania

47. Recognise the children have been damaged by parents

48. Children exhibiting risky behaviour

49. Forms of parenting not successful

50. But support needs to be couched in terms carers can accept“His sister comes to visit every holidays but his behaviour changes about 2 days before she is to leave, he hits her and shouts at her but when she goes he grabs her and cries because he doesn’t want to see her go, it breaks my heart.” Carer – UK "I cut her hair because I was so angry, maybe I was wrong. (....) But punishment does not work, she is not afraid of anything.“ Carer – Lithuania

52. Carers are often financially worse off as a result of the decision to become a carer

53. There often doesn't seem to be a choice in becoming a carer

54. Carers put their own health and wellbeing behind the needs of the children.

55. Professionals were sometimes seen as officious and uncaring

56. Children had deep emotional needs as a result of what they had experienced

57. Many carers were worried about the role that drugs and alcohol might play in the children's lives

59. Target interventions toward the promotion of healthy behaviour among new carers.

60. Explore how to support kinship carers’ mental health and identify local support groups.

61. Services for children in kinship care should be comparable to those in other forms of public care.

62. Provide specific support and monitoring to kinship carers of children with a background of parental substance misuse or abusive parents.

64. "It has been a long time since I have been out. I am alone... my grandchildren are my friends.” Carer – Lithuania www.eukinshipcarers.eu

66. Governments need to sort out the financial and legal issues

67. Policy for kinship carers needs to be given higher profile

68. Kinship carers express desire for information

69. A guide on the process of becoming a carer

70. A guide to the law

71. Information on drugs and alcohol

72. Information on helping the young people in their care to manage their behaviour more productively

73. Kinship carers want to share their experiences with their peers

75. “As a kinship carer you feel stigma. People look at you differently, as if there is something wrong with you or your family. People get very curious.” Swedish carer