Cumbrian vicar shares his kinship care journey for Kinship Care Week 2025
A Cumbrian vicar is sharing his story this October to mark Kinship Care Week 2025 (6–12 October) and raise awareness of the vital role kinship carers play in children’s lives. Rev’d Paul Kerry, lives with his wife Gabby and their four children, aged 15 to 7. Last year, their family grew when they became kinship carers for a three-year-old, the daughter of a family friend. Paul explained how their journey began: “We got a call from social workers asking if we could care for our friend's daughter for a weekend, while her mum received some support, and we were happy to step up. It became obvious quite quickly that her mum wasn’t able to have her back. Then, in January this year, very sadly, her mum passed away.” Life changed overnight for the Kerry family, but their commitment never faltered. “We had thought about fostering in the past, and as godparents to this little girl we had made a promise to care for her – a promise we take very seriously.” Now under a Special Guardianship Order, their god daughter has settled happily into family life. Paul said: “She has been a joy to welcome into our family. She is such a happy, lovely little girl. She goes to nursery, and once a week she sees her dad as well as her mum’s family, who travel up from London to visit regularly.” Paul also attends a local kinship support group which he says has been invaluable: “This was a complete unknown to us, so having other people to talk to really helps. The group is great for advice and signposting, and we even have a WhatsApp group where you can ask questions at any time.” Reflecting on the impact of kinship care, Paul added: “Our little god daughter has brought great joy and a lot of love to our family. The process of being approved as her carers has affirmed that we can do this – that we can help this little girl and thrive together as a family.” What is Kinship Care Week? Kinship Care Week is a national week of awareness, recognition, and celebration of kinship families across England and Wales. Kinship carers – grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings and close family friends – step up when parents cannot, keeping children connected to family, roots and community. Across England and Wales, more than 141,000 children are growing up in kinship care, with over 550 families in Cumbria alone caring under Special Guardianship Orders and more than 100 families currently fostering or being assessed to foster a family member. Local events in Cumbria To celebrate Kinship Care Week, carers and families are invited to join events, hosted by Cumbria Fostering's Kinship Care Team, across the county:
For full details and to book a place at an event email SGOsupport@cumbria.gov.uk and to find out more about the support for kinship carers in Cumbria visit cumbriafostering.org.uk |