Kinship Carer Week 2026: Richmond marks carers who step up for children
6 October 2026 · By Boroughly editorial — AI-assisted, human-reviewed.
Kinship Care Week runs from 5 to 11 October 2026, shining a light on the grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings and family friends who take in children when their parents are unable to care for them.
Richmond Council is marking the week by highlighting the scale and importance of kinship care locally and nationally. According to Kinship — the leading kinship care charity in England and Wales — more than 141,000 children across England and Wales are currently being raised in kinship families, many of whom would otherwise be in the formal care system.
Kinship arrangements vary widely. Some carers hold a legal order such as a Special Guardianship Order; others are registered kinship foster carers; and others care for children informally, without any legal framework in place. Whatever the arrangement, kinship carers often take children in at short notice and with little preparation.
This year's theme centres on the bonds within kinship families and the community networks that support them, while also acknowledging the challenges of caring for children who have had difficult early experiences.
Residents who are kinship carers, or who think they may become one, can find support and information through the council's family services team and through the national charity at Kinship. Richmond Council's full statement on the week is available here.