Update… As valued stakeholders, service users and partners of the Kinship Care Advice Service for Scotland we want to share with you the news that Adoption UK (AUK) and Association for Fostering, Kinship and Adoption (AFKA) Scotland will be transferring the hosting of this service to Children First as the new service providers from 1st September 2025. It has been a huge privilege to work with you all and to share in the progress of Kinship Care practice and support over the 5 years that we have hosted the service. AFKA Scotland and AUK Scotland will continue to be active members of the kinship care community in Scotland and look forward to continuing to work with you all throughout the transition period, and beyond.
Don’t lose touch…For Local Authority Practitioners, your AFKA membership means you still benefit from AFKA services including access to advice, practice forums, training and consultancy which support you to improve practice and outcomes for children and families. You can continue to contact us at info@afkascotland.org For kinship carers and other third sector providers, please keep in touch and stay informed of the ongoing delivery of kinship support services that Adoption UK Scotland will continue to deliver by signing up to the mailing list.
Impact…Over the last 5 years we have responded to over 10,000 helpline enquiries offering advice to kinship carers and practitioners seeking guidance on topics from benefits and welfare issues to obtaining legal orders and supporting children. We have worked with hundreds of families offering enhanced advice provision, supporting the resolution of disputes between Kinship Carers and Local Authorities leading to needed family support. We would like to acknowledge the significant role that our partners in delivery, Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) Scotland have played in supporting this work to ensure the best possible advice and support has been available to our service users.
Over the last year KCASS has delivered 27 training workshops to 217 of kinship carers and 105 practitioners, updating attendees with learning from research, policy and practice changes, and informing carers of their rights along with sharing information, strategies and tools that have benefitted them and their children and young people. We have also facilitated family events for over 220 children and carers, worked with local support groups to provide information and training, and developed resources for practitioners and kinship carers available for access on kinship.scot.
Beyond our KCASS service delivery AUK Scotland will continue to be offering vital support services for kinship carers through our community support Foundations for Families project, our Education Support Services and our therapeutic Kinship Pathways service, our training delivery and our young people’s #E Project. For more information, and to access our bespoke life story and education resources, please visit our Kinship Website page.
Thank you…Our team would like to offer enormous thanks and recognition to our Advisory Group of kinship carers who have worked closely with us to shape and guide services throughout delivery ensuring that the voices and needs of kinship carers have been central to our service delivery.
We would also like to thank all practitioners and kinship carers who have participated with ongoing consultations and service evaluations while we have been delivering KCASS, whose feedback, views and input have been invaluable in supporting service development.
We will be working with the new providers, Children First, to ensure a smooth transition of the service over the coming weeks and look forward to continuing to support the vital work that KCASS provides in the future. For any questions about the future of the service please contact Children First directly: supportline@childrenfirst.org.uk or via their support line: 08000 28 22 33. The Kinship.Scot website will also remain available and be updated with new information from 1st September 2025.
