It is not always easy for the kinship carer/s of a child if they
do not fit the systems idea of a kinship family unit. Kinship carers
themselves, realise that there is no 'one size fits all' when it comes to
taking on a child but government and corporate structures have painted a
picture of this kinship family unit which does not necessarily match what real
life paints.
Many Family units are made up of one or two carers either working
or on benefits to support them. Where our societal system lets kinship carers
down is where there are two carers, one working and one not working or one
working and one student, and one child or more. This is where
caring for a child becomes complicated.
There is no one system in place to support workers with childcare
after school hours (or during school hours if the child is not of school age).
Universities have nothing in place for kinship carers and childcare costs
are not accounted for, as the child is not, by birth, yours. There is no
student body to support you when you cannot make it to class because either it
is, after school hours, or the child is sick. The work place is neither equipped
to deal with childcare issues, hearing requests, Looked after children reviews
or child sickness either.
When considering kinship care you must consider every aspect of
your life as well as the The Complexities Behind the Decision to Care for a Child
There are some 'work-a-rounds' but they take patience, explaining
your circumstances repeatedly to different departments (whether that be at work
or at university) and they all take compromises from both carers.
So if you are a kinship carer that does not 'fit' what society
expects, do not worry, you are not alone and there are others out there going
through the same. If you think you do fit but want to change it, it can
be done and is being done by kinship carers scattered across the UK.
