The prevalence and characteristics of children growing up in kinship care in the UK: An analyses of the Census 2011 microdata

Around the world, kinship care* remains the most commonly used out-of-home placement for children who are not able to live with their parents. However, research indicates that only a small proportion of kinship families are... [ view full abstract ]

Around the world, kinship care* remains the most commonly used out-of-home placement for children who are not able to live with their parents. However, research indicates that only a small proportion of kinship families are known to and supported by child welfare services.

This presentation focuses on this ‘hidden’ population of kinship families in the UK. The number and the characteristics of children growing up in the care of relatives in the four UK countries (England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland) were established through analyses of data from the 2011 UK Census. Ninety-four percent of the households in the UK responded to the 2011 Census, which provides the most accurate and reliable source of data on the population of the UK.

The presentation will explore the prevalence of kinship care in the four UK countries and the characteristics of children growing up in the care of relatives such as gender, ethnicity, disability, poverty and deprivation when compared with children who were growing up with at least one parent in the household. The implications of the results will be discussed alongside the strengths and limitations of using Census data as a secondary source of data in social work research.

This research study, which is funded by the ESRC, is ongoing. All outputs from the study are available on the project website: www.bristolkinshipstudy.co.uk

* Kinship care in this study was defined as an instance where children are brought up by relatives in the absence of parent/s.