A Cumbrian vicar is sharing his story to raise awareness of the vital role kinship carers play in children’s lives.
Kinship carers are family or friends who step up, often during an unexpected crisis, to care for a child when their parents aren’t able to.
Over 130,000 children are in kinship care in England. Rights, responsibilities and the type of support kinship carers can access depends on specific circumstances.
In Cumbria, over 550 families in Cumbria care under Special Guardianship Orders and over 100 families are currently fostering or are being assessed to foster a family member.
The Rev Paul Kerry, lives with his wife Gabby and their four children, aged seven to 15. Last year, their family grew when they became kinship carers for a three-year-old, the daughter of a family friend.
Paul said: “We got a call from social workers asking if we could care for our friend’s daughter for a weekend, while her mum received some support, and we were happy to step up.
“It became obvious quite quickly that her mum wasn’t able to have her back. Then, in January this year, very sadly, her mum passed away.”
Life changed overnight for the Kerry family, but their commitment never faltered. “We had thought about fostering in the past, and as godparents to this little girl we had made a promise to care for her – a promise we take very seriously.”
Now under a Special Guardianship Order, their god daughter has settled happily into family life.
Paul said: “She has been a joy to welcome into our family. She is such a happy, lovely little girl. She goes to nursery, and once a week she sees her dad as well as her mum’s family, who travel up from London to visit regularly.”
Paul also attends a local kinship support group which he said had been invaluable. He said: “This was a complete unknown to us, so having other people to talk to really helps. The group is great for advice and signposting, and we even have a WhatsApp group where you can ask questions at any time.
“Our little god daughter has brought great joy and a lot of love to our family. The process of being approved as her carers has affirmed that we can do this – that we can help this little girl and thrive together as a family.”
Kinship Care Week 2025 begins on Monday to raise awareness and celebrate kinship families.
Cumbria fostering is holding a number of events to mark Kinship Care Week.
- Kinship Care Lunch Events – meet other carers, connect with our team, and enjoy lunch:
- Monday October 6 – Barrow, 11.30am to 1.30pm
- Tuesday October 7– Carlisle, 11.30am to 2pm
- Thursday October 9 – Whitehaven, 10am to 2pm
- Family Fun Day – Saturday October 11, Cleator Moor, from 10am to 2pm. Activities for children including rocket making, robot dogs, VR headsets, plus lunch and refreshments.
For full details and to book a place at an event email [email protected] and to find out more about the support for kinship carers in Cumbria visit cumbriafostering.org.uk
