Start a kinship peer support group
All the free support, resources and training you need to set up your own support group in your local area or online.
If you’re thinking about setting up a kinship support group we’re here to support you.
By starting a group, you’re making a commitment to yourself and other kinship carers so you need to be in the right place. But the rewards are huge. By setting up a group, you’re helping kinship carers to feel less alone and be part of something.
What support will you get to set up a kinship peer support group?
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"So actually going through Kinship I think actually is a really valuable resource, [learning] about actually how to set [a support group] up. You're given a point of contact who has been amazing. She has met with me. We've had online chats and, I've also been part of the very first forum for people that were obviously interested in starting up a group with them. "
How Kinship can help you
If you feel you’re ready to start a group, we can help you in two ways:
- if you live in England, we can give you individual support through our national Peer Support Service
- if you live in Wales, or would like to set up a group by yourself, you can use our free peer support group library which is full of practical tools and tips to get started
You can set up a group that runs in person or you might want to run an online group, or a mix of both. However you want to set up your group, – we’re here to help you.
Fill out our expression of interest form and one of our friendly Kinship team members will contact you for an informal chat. There’s no pressure to commit at all.
You can volunteer for Kinship as a group leader and we will support you every step of the way. Listen to Rachael talk about volunteering as a support group leader at Kinship.
What’s a Support Group Leader and what do they do?
If you’re setting up a group for other kinship carers, we call you a ‘Support Group Leader’. It sounds like a scary title but it’s just a way to make it easy to understand that you’d be the person coordinating the group.
Within your group, you can call yourself what you’d like! You could use different words, such as the group host, the group’s main contact person or the facilitator, to name a few. As your group grows, other people might want to help and have different roles and responsibilities within the group too.
Being the group leader might feel like a big thing. But by breaking it down, it’s all about what you are responsible for when starting and running a group.
Things like:
- deciding when and where you meet
- promoting the group and recruiting new members – you might lead this to get going, but others can support this over time
- making sure kinship carers who come feel welcome and supported – perhaps a call with them
- hosting the group meeting – making sure everyone has a chance to talk if they want to
- looking after those attending – understanding safeguarding and how to support in the best way
Over time you will find that others in the group share some of these responsibilities and you create a team that helps to run the group.
You can find out more about running a group, including tips and tricks from other leaders through our free peer support group library.
Fill out our expression of interest form to find out more about volunteering at Kinship as a Support Group Leader. You can read more about the role and the commitment – peer support group leader role description.
What’s the Kinship Peer Support Service?
Until the end of December 2023, we’re being funded by the Department for Education to give kinship carers in England one-to-one support to set up a group. It doesn’t matter what type of kinship carer you are – we can help you.
You’ll have your own Volunteer Coordinator who will help you through the process – from training, finding a venue, to finding other kinship carers to join your group and much, much more.
You’ll also help you if you’d like to set up an online support group too.
Our coordinators are based across England in nine different regions.
Have a chat to one of our coordinators to find out more using our expression of interest form.
What if I want to set up a group with someone else?
If you would like to start or run a group with someone else, but don’t have anyone in mind – please complete an expression of interest form or email peersupport@kinship.org.uk. We may have someone else looking for a buddy in your area!
What if I want to set up a group by myself?
There is absolutely no pressure to volunteer to start a group with Kinship. But we still want to support you. You can read about the support that Kinship can offer here – Kinship Group Network.
Further information about starting a kinship peer support group
Ready to set up a group and want support?
Read through all the support we can give you, how to get started and put some time in to have an informal chat with a Volunteer Coordinator.
Take the first step
See if there’s already a group in your area
Search for peer support groups across England and Wales. In person groups meeting near you, online or join a themed online group.
Search for kinship groups
Visit the peer support group library
Free tool, tips and practical resources to help you set up your group. Everything from understanding safeguarding to meeting for the first time.
Check out the libraryLooking for advice and information?
We have the only dedicated advice team for kinship carers in England and Wales. Get practical advice and information on a range of topics.
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