There are over 300,000 children in the UK living in Kinship Care

Kinfest
who we are and what we do

Kinfest

Kinship Care

Across the country there are estimated to be 300,000 children who cannot be looked after by their birth parents, who are being looked after by the wider family (data provided by Grandparents Plus). There are many reasons for this from death of the parents, to ill health, disability, or because of abuse or neglect due to a number of factors, often drugs or alcoholism. 

Most people think that when a child is removed from a family they go into foster care and are looked after by strangers. This isn’t always the case.

Kinship care is different. 

  • Kinship Children are looked after by the wider family or friends, there are estimated to be 200,000 kinship carers in the UK.
  • Kinship carers regularly don’t get the financial, practical and emotional help that would be offered to regular foster carers and find themselves out of their depth navigating the social and legal systems.
  • Kinship carers may be expected to give up work, move house and pay for equipment for the children brought into their care.
  • Quite often kinship carers find themselves out of pocket and their lives having been turned upside down.
  • They can feel isolated from their friends, feel like they are different and that they have nowhere to turn for help and advice.

Data sourced from members own comments and recollections as discussed on the support forums, this is a closed site and access is strictly limited to kinship carers only. 

Who we are

Kinfest is a Registered Charity number 1171491 and is run entirely by volunteer kinship carers, all funds raised are used to fund future Kinfest events.  

The current Kinfest Trustees are Vicki O’Leary, Janellen Redington, Mathew Bushell, Rob Pitman, Anna Clough and Neil Stow.

What we do (Aims/Goals)

The aim of Kinfest is to alleviate the isolation felt by kinship children and their carers and ‘sharers’. They do this by providing opportunities for them to share recreational time together so that they may support each other and create memories together as a family unit, helping to promote bonds within the wider family; as well as meeting and becoming part of a wider social support network of over 1000 members.  This is done through an annual holiday, day trips and social events, as well as an online support forum.  

Kinfest’s annual holiday originated from the combined desire to share a holiday by kinship carers from the online support group with their children.  The first holiday site in Skegness was quickly moved to another local site where facilities were more appropriate to the needs of the group.  However since then the annual Summer Kinfest has started to move around, from Skegness to Tattershall to Mablethorpe, always fairly central in the UK. 

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About Kinfest

About Kinfest

What is Kinship care is and how are we helping people?

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About Kinfest

Get Involved

Want to find ways you can help raise money for Kinfest?

Click for more information about volunteering, fundraising or taking part in events

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Events

Events

Learn more about upcoming events in your area

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Real Stories

Real Stories

Read stories form other families

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Latest News

Upcoming Events

Mini Kinfest 2025

26th – 30th May 2025 Location to be announced, see our Social Media pages for updates

Kinfest Summer Holiday 2024

Haven Skegness – 16th – 23rd August Contact us for availability

Kinfest Christmas Party 2024

Saturday 28th December – Maidstone Mercure Great Danes Hotel

Kinfest Big Picnic 2024

Sunday 8th September Kent – Cobtree Country Park See your local group pages for other locations

Contact Us

Please feel free to contact any of the admin’s via the Facebook group, if you have a query, would like to fund raise, or join in any of the activities being organised.

If you would like to please fill in the enquiry form and we will get back to you.