Kinship Care and Poverty: Using Census Data to Examine the Extent and Nature of Kinship Care in the UK

The paper presents findings from the first-ever study of kinship care in the UK using census micro data. We show that, in 2001, over 173,000 children in the UK were living with relatives, without their parents. The majority of these children were living in poor and deprived circumstances. There were significant differences in the likelihood of a child being in kinship care between socio-economic groups and geographic areas. The paper presents the first reliable, nationally representative estimates of kinship care and its patterning, which will form a baseline for future studies and for comparisons with international data. The findings presented have important implications for policy, particularly with regard to the needs of kinship carers for financial, emotional, practical and other support.