The National Kinship Care Organisation of Australia

Kinship Alliance Australia is the National Kinship Care Organisation. It encompasses all kinship care families in all States and Territories, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, with all carer-child relationships (grandparents, relatives and connected persons), and with both informal and formal care arrangements

The United Nations General Assembly (2010) describes kinship care as ‘family-based care within the child’s extended family or with close friends of the family known to the child, whether formal or informal in nature’.

It is widely believed that most kinship carers are grandparents, however current Australian data suggests that around half of all kinship carers are other relatives or family friends. Australian 2011 census data suggested that over 100,000 children were in kinship care at that time. This is more than all the children in statutory Out of Home Care in Australia.

Over 80% of the identified kinship care families were providing care on an informal basis, that is, without recognition or financial support by child protection authorities (Kiraly et al, 2021; Kiraly, 2023). With population increase, the number of children in kinship care in 2024 can be confidently estimated to far exceed 100,000. Indigenous children and families are over-represented (Kiraly et al, 2021).

Vision

A country that provides support to all children in kinship care and their caregivers as needed to ensure they can thrive and achieve their life goals.

Mission

To ensure adequate support all Australian kinship carers and children in their care, and to raise awareness and advocate for policy changes that recognise and address their needs.

We love caring for all the children and see them develop and gain confidence. It is not an easy path at times but it is not dull! Kinship care seems to be the 'Cinderella' of care, so I hope your research project might help these people.

[What do people need to know about young kinship carers?] That we exist. And that it's not just grandparents taking care of children.

I never thought it as a form of care. I just thought I was going to stay with Nana or Grandad for this long time and that’s it. It didn’t seem weird or strange to me anyway … I still went to the same school, the same sort of things. Still had that same sense of stability, constancy. It was just a different location that you lived, a different person you lived with.

She may not be a blood family but who says blood is needed to make a family? They say friends come and go but family is forever. If you’ve had friends who have stuck by you through the worst then personally in my eyes they are family.

Issues for kinship families

Invisibility of kinship care families

Kinship carers are not recognised as:

Carers - in Commonwealth legislation, hence not eligible for carer services
Parents - hence not eligible for parental leave. Lack of appropriate documentation often leads to difficulty obtaining birth certificates and Medicare cards for children in their care.
Adoptive parents - hence not eligible for adoption leave.

Poverty in informal kinship care families

Australian and international research shows this is the biggest issue for informal kinship care families (Kiraly, 2015). Many kinship carers are pensioners and renters, often in public housing.

Houses are frequently overcrowded once the children arrive. Some older carers with a home of their own have found it necessary to re-mortgage their house, others to use superannuation savings for the care of children.

Some younger carers have given up study and employment to provide care, threatening their own life opportunities.

Join the Alliance

We welcome grandparent/kinship carers, support workers, managers and other interested individuals to join us as Supporters.

We invite Organisations and Support Groups to join as Affiliates.

Supporters and Affiliates provide feedback on issues affecting kinship families and participate in presentations, deputations to Federal Parliament and submissions to Inquiries and Reviews.

Join here.