This document summarizes research on kinship care, including sibling carers and non-familial kinship care. Studies found that 38% of children in kinship care in England were cared for by sibling carers without older household members. Research also explored the characteristics and needs of non-familial kinship carers through surveys and interviews. Quotes from kinship carers provided insights into their motivations and experiences providing care. The document calls for more support for kinship carers and greater recognition of their contributions.

1. Meredith Kiraly, Research Fellow
University of Melbourne
BASPCAN Congress, Edinburgh, 2015

2. Terms of Reference included:
◦ How to better acknowledge & recognise the
contribution of grandparent families
◦ Practical challenges circumstances & support needs
◦ Legal issues
◦ Diverse groups incl. Indigenous & CALD families
◦ Measures to provide better support.
◦ Other issues of relevance.

5.  38% of children in kinship care (England) cared for by a
sibling carer without help from older household member
 About 28% of sibling carers were born outside the UK
 Over half the brothers were partnered (60%)
 Most (93%) sister carers were single
 43% had no qualifications
 Most sibling carers were parenting more than one child
(average 2)
 19% of sibling carer households were overcrowded
 Most either unemployed or in low paid occupations.

6. Big Bruv Little Sis
research project
Roth, Lindley et al. (2011)
Family Rights Group,
London
 Literature review
 Internet survey
 Interviews

7. I think Richard finds it extremely hard now
…they have a really good relationship but
there are times when Richard doesn’t want to
discipline him any more. He just wants to be
his big brother and have fun with him.
(Big Bruv Little Sis)

8. On the day that my Dad died I had a
phone call from my sister…I told the children
to get some stuff and come to my house. On
the way I spoke to my Mum on the
phone…and she hung up on me and then she
texted me saying:
“I don’t want them – you look after them”.
(Big Bruv Little Sis)

9. When Mum was alive I used to always go over there
and take them gifts and they just remembered me as a
loving sister, but when I took them on I became a
terrible monster! I was really stressed out with a lot
of things. We’ve had a lot of tears, a lot of arguments.
I’ll get “You’re my sister, not my mother, you can’t tell
me that.”…now it’s not as bad as it was….I’m still
learning every day how to deal with my sisters….It was
me on my own for such a long time and then to
have two young girls, everything just changed.
(Big Bruv Little Sis)

10.  Estimate prevalence
of young carers
(30 and under)
 Explore carers’ and
children’s
characteristics and
support needs
 Alert policymakers
and community to
the issues.
 Census analysis
 Survey
 Interviews: young
carers & young
people
 Focus groups:
staff working with
young carers.

11.  A hidden population - publicity
and promotion will be difficult.

12. I think it is a bit more complex for those
who are not family – such as myself.
Family Links survey of statutory
(‘looked after’) kinship carers,
Victoria Australia, 2010

13. Studies in Sweden & Canada showed
breakdown rate higher in non-familial care.
(Sallnas, Vinnerljung et al, 2004; Perry, Daly et al, 2012).
In the Family Links survey, one-fifth (20%)
of respondents were non-familial kinship
carers.

14. This experience has been great, I never
planned to be a carer. But having met the
young lady on many occasions before she
picked us to stay with made a big difference
in her fitting in with our family. We are
lucky, she is a lovely young lady and we are
happy to support her for as long as she
needs. (Family Links)

15. The young person was someone who lived in
the area. I only knew her to say hello to, before
she became homeless and then moved in with
me.
(Family Links)

16.  Explore the
characteristics and
support needs of
non-familial kinship
carers.
 Alert policymakers and
community support
services to the issues.
 Survey of non-familial
kinship carers
 Interviews with support
workers, non-familial
kinship carers and
young people
 Focus groups with
kinship care support
staff.

17.  Anne: Providing Family Day Care for then 15 day
old girl. Brothers started with me 10 weeks later.
Children placed with me 3 months after baby
started FDC. Parents disappeared. Dept
contacted me when fourth child born.
(3 children have intellectual disabilities)
 Lisa: I work as a chaplain at a secondary college
and the young person needed somewhere to live.
I offered for the young person to stay with me
until something more permanent could
be sorted, she has now been with us
almost 5 years.

18.  Access to childcare similar to grandparent
access would be valuable
 Would have liked training in dealing with
trauma impact (I got it wrong and any training
I accesses, I paid for as well as childcare while I
attended and loss of income.)
 Don’t rely on the Department. Learn! Learn!
Learn!
 I wouldn’t give them up for the world.
 My future plans changed when the children
came.

19. Roth, D., B. Lindley, et al.
(2011). Big Bruv Little Sis:
Research findings on sibling
carers raising their younger
sisters and brothers. London,
Family Rights Group.
Nandy, S., J. Selwyn, et al.
(2011). Spotlight on kinship
care: Using Census
microdata to examine the
extent and nature of
kinship care in the UK at the
turn of the Twentieth
century. Bristol, University
of Bristol.
Sallnas, M., B. Vinnerljung, et al.
(2004). Breakdown of teenage
placements in Swedish foster and
residential care. Child and Family
Social Work 9: 141-152.
Perry, G., M. Daly, et al. (2012).
Placement stability in kinship
and non-kin foster care: A
Canadian study. Children and
Youth Services Review 34: 460→
Kiraly, M. and C. Humphreys
(2014). "‘It’s about the whole
family’: family contact for
children in kinship care." Child
and Family Social Work Early View.
Young and ‘care-full’ ‘It takes a village’

20. More information available, comments
welcome to:
Meredith Kiraly
mkiraly@unimelb.edu.au