Kinship Roadshow – care, connect and learn together

Welcome to our first Kinship Roadshow

At Kinship, we know how much kinship carers do each day to support and raise children you love. We’re here to help you make connections with other kinship carers and feel more confident to deal with what comes your way.

Our new Roadshow will help you connect with others and get vital information on how to navigate the system and make choices that work for you, so you can get the support your children need and deserve.

This Roadshow is open to all kinship carers at any stage of their kinship journey.

A kinship carer is someone who steps in to raise a child when their parents can’t. They’re usually grandparents, aunts or uncles, brothers or sisters and sometimes friends.

You can book your free place for the Kinship Roadshow at EventBrite.

What happens on the day

9.30am:
Registration
Arrive and register – grab yourself a cuppa and meet the team.

10am:
A warm welcome
Get to know each other and learn more about the practicalities of being a kinship carer. 

10.45am – 11.45pm (including break):
Living as a kinship carer – practical sessions to support you
These sessions will be running in parallel and you’ll swap in the afternoon. This is so we can keep sessions smaller and better to chat with each other:

• Managing contact with family members. 
• Understanding trauma and attachment and the impact on your kinship child or children.

12.00 – 12.30pm:
Supporting your kinship child at school
Introduction: Practical tools and tips to navigate schools and what support you should ask for.

12.30pm – 1.15pm:
Lunch and informal marketplace
Have a delicious lunch, chat with others, get some fresh air and browse our informal Marketplace where you can meet organisations who can support you in your local area. 

1.15pm:
Living as a kinship carer – practical sessions to support you
These sessions will be running in parallel and you’ll attend the one you didn’t attend in the morning:

• Managing contact with family members. 
• Understanding trauma and attachment and the impact on your kinship child or children.

2.15pm:
Leaving as friends
Where else to get support and what’s next. 

2.30pm:
Close 

You can book your free place for the Kinship Roadshow at EventBrite.

About the Kinship Roadshow venue:

Toynbee Hall is accessible by bus, underground, DLR and overground. The nearest underground and bus station is at Aldgate East, which is a two and a half minute walk away.

For more information on accessing the venue by other means visit toynbeehall.org.uk/contact-us/how-to-find-us

The full address is:
Toynbee Hall
28 Commercial Street
London
E1 6LS

Who can attend?

If you’re a kinship carer, you can attend the Roadshow. It’s open to all kinship carers – if you’re an informal kinship carer or you have a special guardianship order or any other order, this day is for you.

You might have just become a kinship carer or you’ve been looking after your kinship child for many years. It doesn’t matter. This is an inclusive event just for kinship carers to connect and build community.

What to expect:

You can expect a warm welcome and a day of connecting with each other alongside practical tips and tools to support you in the day-to-day.

We’re expecting about 50 kinship carers to attend and there will be opportunities to talk in small groups and share your experiences.

But don’t worry, you won’t be expected to share anything you don’t want to, and you’re not expected to chat. Just do what you feel comfortable with.

There’ll also be plenty of space to take some time-out.

Who will be there on the day?

You’ll meet our friendly Kinship Team who are leading the day. Most importantly, half our facilitators are kinship experienced and they’ll know how you might be feeling.

We’ll also be inviting local organisations who might be able to support you in your caring role as part of an informal Marketplace.

Local authorities will not be in attendance, this is an event just for kinship carers.

I’m not in London, will you be coming to other locations?

This is our first Roadshow but we will be releasing other dates and locations across England. If you want to find out more please email roadshow@kinship.org.uk

We’ll also be releasing other in person events on lots of different topics, which you’ll be able to join for free.

In the meantime we have a range of free online workshops which you can access and book. Please sign up for a free Zoom account first.

Can I bring children to the event?

Not at this Roadshow, but we are thinking about developing a family-friendly Roadshow. Do contact us on roadshow@kinship.org.uk if this something you’re interested in finding out about.

Book your free place at the Kinship Roadshow:

It’s really easy to book a ticket for the Roadshow on Tuesday 4 June 2024. Follow this link to book your free place through EventBrite.

We’ll ask you about your gender, age, ethnicity and other demographics as well as a bit about your experience as a carer, this is to help us make sure that the services and experiences we offer are as inclusive as possible and our advice is relevant to your locality.

We want to ensure that you have a comfortable experience. So will will ask some questions about your needs so we can better accommodate you on the day.

Have questions? Contact us:

Our Kinship Team, can answer any questions you might have about the roadshow. Please email us on roadshow@kinship.org.uk