Is your organisation kinship carer-friendly?

What is kinship care?

Kinship care is where a child is raised in the care of a family member or family friend on a temporary or longer-term basis.

The government has recently published guidance for employers on kinship carers in the workplace. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/kinship-carers-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers



How does being a kinship carer affect employees?

Employees who are kinship carers may face having to leave work permanently or may need to reduce their working hours.



What rights to kinship carers have in the workplace?

Whilst employed kinship carers don’t have specific rights in the workplace, the recent government guidance encourages employers to signpost such employees to their existing entitlements, for example the right to request flexible working, and the right to time off for dependents and to unpaid parental leave.



What should employers be doing?

The guidance contains suggestions for employers who want to become kinship carer-friendly, such as:

  • creating a kinship carers’ policy or adapting existing policies to explicitly include kinship carers
  • offering support and paid leave beyond the existing statutory entitlements
  • promoting an open culture for discussions to take place



What more could employers do?

For employers who want to enhance their Kinship Friendly credentials, the guidance directs them to the following support schemes:

The Kinship charity’s Kinship Friendly Employer scheme, which has Gold, Silver and Bronze Standards https://kinship.org.uk/get-involved/kinship-friendly-employers/



The Fostering Network’s ‘Fostering Friendly’ scheme which helps employers to support kinship foster carers https://www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/get-involved/championing-fostering/fostering-friendly



Working Families’ ‘Happy to Talk Flexible Working’ logo and strapline, which employers can use in their adverts for jobs that are suitable for some form of flexible working https://workingfamilies.org.uk/employers/happy-to-talk-flexible-working/



In conclusion, we trust that this article has offered you valuable insights and useful information. Please be aware that the contents of this article do not constitute legal advice. For specific guidance tailored to your situation, or if you have any further questions, Marianne Wright is readily available to assist you. You can contact her at 0800 9157777 or via email at hello@kilgannonlaw.co.uk. We welcome your queries and are committed to providing the support and advice you require, ensuring you are well-informed and confident in your decisions.

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