Many children in kinship care have experienced adverse childhood experiences and face poorer outcomes than their peers. Kinship carers often face health difficulties, poverty, and financial pressures, alongside the demands of caring. These challenges can lead to stress and conflict with birth parents, which can negatively affect children’s long-term outcomes. Despite these challenges, kinship carers do not always receive sufficient support from local authorities or services.
This intervention, delivered by Family Solutions, used mediation to help kinship carers and parents communicate, resolve disputes, and make shared decisions in the child’s best interests. It also incorporated positive parenting techniques to strengthen carers’ understanding of trauma and strategies for managing conflict. Family Solutions’ trained mediators, skilled in trauma-informed practice, positive parenting approaches, and effective communication, delivered the work. Additionally, mediation training was provided to over 70 professionals across participating local authorities, aiming to improve referrals into the service.
The intervention supported 17 kinship families across five South Hampshire local authorities. Coram was commissioned to conduct a feasibility study to assess the potential for a future evaluation and scale-up.
