Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many kinship carers are registered in (a) Hexham constituency, (b) Northumberland, (c) Newcastle, (d) the North East and (e) England.

The department does not collect local authority level data on the number of children in all types of kinship care placements. As such, we are unable to provide figures for Hexham constituency, Northumberland, Newcastle, or the North East. Some local authorities may publish their own data online, which can be found through individual local authorities websites or direct contact requests for more detailed local information.

Nationally, the department does collect data on children in formal kinship care arrangements, such as those placed with family or friends foster carers. This data is published annually in the Children Looked After statistics.

Local authorities in England are responsible for setting out a Kinship Local Offer, which outlines the support available to kinship carers and the children they care for. This offer should cover all types of kinship care arrangements, both formal and informal, and can include information on financial support, legal advice, training and peer support and educational and emotional wellbeing services.

Support is available to kinship carers through peer to peer support groups and a programme of training, delivered by the charity Kinship. This includes free workshops, events and access to free support and advice, as well as support from virtual school heads, who promote the education of children in kinship care and help schools better support their needs.