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<p>‘Championing Kinship Care’, which was published on 15 December 2023, sets out the
department’s vision for a future kinship care system and how kinship carers can be
better supported, so that more children can thrive. The department is investing £20
million of funding in 2024/25 to help move towards a children’s social care system
with kinship at its heart.</p><p> </p><p>The department will launch a Pathfinder programme
in 2024 in up to eight local authorities to provide special guardian kinship carers,
who care for previously looked after children, with a financial allowance to be paid
at the same rate as foster care. This programme will be backed by an investment of
£16 million in 2024/25 and the department will explore expanding eligibility to broader
cohorts of kinship carers and all local authorities in the future, subject to the
findings of our evaluation. The department is currently working through the criteria
for the eight local authorities, and will share further information on the Pathfinder
in the coming months.</p><p> </p><p>The department also announced £3.8 million in
2024/25 to expand the role of Virtual School Heads to specifically include championing
the education, attendance and attainment of children in kinship care. Local authority
funding allocations were published in March 2024 and the role extension will come
into effect from September 2024.</p><p> </p><p>The department is also delivering a
package of training and support that all kinship carers across England can access
if they wish to within this Spending Review period. The department is pleased to confirm
the charity Kinship as the successful training partner and that the service went live
in April 2024.</p>
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