Family & Friends Advice Line Contract Award

We are proposing to contract for an information and advice service for families, kinship carers and special guardians. Often these will be carers for children who are either at risk or are already involved in the care system in England. We would expect the service to, at a minimum; provide a telephone and online advice service. There are more than 200,000 children in the UK raised by kinship carers (family and friends carers), normally grandparents or older siblings. These children have often suffered similar adversities to those in the care system. Almost half of carers (54%) say they are bringing up at least one child with special needs, most commonly emotional and behavioural difficulties (85%). Of these carers, only 11% said they are getting the information they need from their Local Authority ('Kinship Care State of Nation 2018, Grandparents Plus).