Published: Friday, 27th February 2026
We have been selected to take part in a £126million national pilot which will see increased support for kinship carers.
The Kinship Zone pilot aims to support more children to grow up within their family networks, rather than come into the care system.
Kinship care is when a child is looked after by someone who is not their parent. This is often a grandparent, aunt, uncle or family friend.
Through the pilot, which will run for up to three and a half years, we will now be able to remove means testing around the financial allowance offered for kinship carers, as well as bring it in line with the allowance offered to foster carers.
Additional support will also be provided over the course of the pilot, which will be tailored to local needs, and could include things like training, advice and community-based support networks.
We are one of seven local authorities chosen to join the pilot, and have had more than £16million allocated for the first two years of the pilot.
Such an important role
Cllr Adam Price, Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services, said: “Being part of the Kinship Zone pilot is incredibly good news for Medway. There are almost 300 children in Medway who are known to us and cared for under kinship care arrangements.
“Kinship carers play such an important role in their children’s lives – providing a loving, caring and stable environment for them to thrive in. Through this investment, we will now be able to better support those who have stepped up to provide vital care.”
Eligible carers who are known to the council will be contacted directly and encouraged to complete an application for the new allowance, which will go live from Wednesday, 1 April.
Those unsure if they are eligible or not are encouraged to get in touch with the team on: SGO.Support@Medway.gov.uk or by calling: 01634 336228.