I have been looking after my twin brother and sister for the last 5 years.
In 2010 we started out with a charity number and a determination to make the world a better place for kinship carers and their children. Today, we support around 900 carers and 1,000 children and young people – and loving every minute of it.
The stories shared by kinship carers and children and young people provide an exceptional insight of the work of everyone involved with Kinship Care NI. Stories of courage and resilience, and of hope and joy just go to show that when children and their carers get the right help and support they can go on and achieve wonderful things for themselves, their families and their communities.
Our vision is for every child and young person in kinship care to have access to the help and support they need so they can lead happy and successful lives. We see the potential in the children and families who come to us for support and we encourage them to stand up tall and feel proud of themselves in every aspect of their lives.
With demand for services continuing to grow we are mindful of the continuous need to fundraise to sustain our work. Without the support of our donors and the kindness of strangers we would not be able to provide help to so many children and families in need.
Like you, we feel extremely proud of the extraordinary outcomes that have been achieved for kinship carers and their youngsters. Thank you for supporting us. It really does mean a lot.
I have been looking after my twin brother and sister for the last 5 years.
Rachel, aged 6 has been in the care of her aunt, Danielle for just over 5 years.
I contacted Kinship Care NI not long after I took on the care of my two younger siblings.
Claudia is in the care of her grandparents and has been since she was a small child.
Garreth is an amazing young man who supports his younger brothers in everything they do
Alana, age 7 loves arts and crafts, baking and going on long nature walks.
Kayla is being cared for by her grandfather and has a very close relationship with staff and volunteers.
I was in the final year of my Degree studying to be a Marine Biologist in England when my mum fell ill.
Mary has been raising her 3 grandchildren, Stephen age 13, Jamie Lee, age 12 and Cathlin, age 10 for the last 9 years.
My mum doesn’t look after me because she’s not able to and my dad died 9 years ago.