'Taking in my grandchildren has left me penniless'

Sophie* did not hesitate when her two grandchildren needed urgently caring for after their mother suffered a mental health breakdown.

Almost four years on, she says she has been left on the brink of poverty after remaining their main carer – but without any financial support.

Birmingham Children's Trust classified the placement as a family arrangement, despite putting plans in place to say the children "should not be removed" from Sophie's care.

"I'm left in a situation where I can't afford the children so am left to struggle - but I can't put them into a care home," she said.

Her situation is mirrored across England and Wales, a charity said, with thousands of family members struggling to care financially for their young relatives because there is no specific allowance they can apply for.

A kinship carer, also known as a family and friends' carer, is a private arrangement between the parents and the relative, friend, or it can arise because of the involvement of children's services.

A kinship foster carer is when the family or friend carer is assessed to look after the child on behalf of children's services.

The local authority shares the parental rights with the parents – but the carer receives a regular foster care allowance.

Sophie is battling for recognition as a kinship foster carer, but has so far been refused by Birmingham Children's Trust.

Sophie's daughter began suffering with post-natal psychosis after the birth of her second child, and in December 2020 police temporarily removed both children from her care.

The children stayed with their maternal aunt and grandmother for two weeks before social workers decided they could return home.

But by February 2021 their mother's condition had deteriorated, leading her to make a distressed 999 call to request her son and daughter be removed from the home for their own safety.

A referral was made to social services, who were aware of the family, and a social worker contacted Sophie to ask if she could care for the children.

"I agreed to looking after them both for the night, but I didn't confirm a long-term arrangement as I knew my life would change," she said.

"But as I watched them sleep overnight, I knew I couldn't give them up."

Kinship's Make or Break report in October revealed that 47% of kinship carers rate the information for financial support provided by their local authority as poor or very poor.

In the West Midlands, there are an estimated 15,437 children being raised by a family member or friend.

A similar case saw a complaint upheld against Lancashire County Council in September.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman found the council failed to regard the complainant's grandson as a child in care.

If it had, it would have had to provide both financial and other support to her and to her grandson.

A Birmingham Children's Trust spokesperson said they could not comment on individual cases but that they "recognise the significant contribution that children's wider family networks play".

"Staying in their family networks, if safe and appropriate to do so, leads to better outcomes for children," they added.