Darlington Kinship Connect

27/10/2026

🎃👻 A HUGE THANK YOU FROM DARLINGTON KINSHIP CONNECT! 👻🎃

What a fantastic afternoon we've had at our Halloween Party! 🧡🕷️

We want to say a massive THANK YOU to everyone who came along today and joined in the spooky fun! We hope all the children (and adults!) had a wonderful time, enjoyed themselves and made some lovely memories! 🎃🥳

A special thank you to our amazing volunteers, who helped make today possible, and to everyone who helped organise and bring the party together. We couldn't do it without you! ❤️

📸 Here's a few photos from today's celebrations! We haven't got many to share, as we completely respect that not all children have permission to appear on social media. So you'll probably notice quite a few familiar volunteer faces instead! 😂❤️

Thank you again to all the wonderful families who came along and supported us. Seeing everyone enjoying themselves is exactly why we do what we do!

We hope you all had a SPOOKTACULAR time! 👻🧡

🎄🎅 And we hope to see you all again at our Christmas Party! We can't wait to celebrate with you all again and make even more wonderful memories together! Keep an eye on our page for more details! ❤️

If you have any Photos you would likes us to share please DM us, we would love to share them for you!!

From all of us at Darlington Kinship Connect! 🎃❤️

26/10/2026

🎄🎁 We know Halloween isn't quite over yet, but we're already looking ahead to Christmas! 🎅

Darlington Kinship Connect is pleased to be helping families access the Salvation Army Christmas Toy Appeal this year! ❤️

Families can complete a registration form through DKC, which we will then submit to the Salvation Army on their behalf.

Once the Christmas gifts are ready, DKC will collect them for families, helping make the festive season a little easier for those who need some extra support. 🎁

If you're a kinship family who would like to find out more or register, please get in touch with us! 💜

🎄 Because every child deserves a little Christmas magic!

22/10/2026

📢 LET'S TALK CO-PRODUCTION CONFERENCE | DARLINGTON

Have your say in shaping the future of services in Darlington!

Darlington Borough Council is hosting a Let's Talk Co-Production Conference and Development Session, bringing together professionals, community organisations, parents, carers and people with lived experience to help shape how services are developed and delivered across Darlington.

📅 Tuesday 10th November 2026

🕤 9:30am – 12:30pm

📍 Tandem, Morton Park, Darlington

💬 What is co-production?

Co-production is about making sure the people who use services have a genuine voice in how those services are designed, developed and delivered. It's about working with people, rather than simply making decisions for them.

The conference will focus on developing a Darlington Co-Production Charter, setting out shared commitments to involving children, young people, families, carers and communities in decisions that affect their lives.

Why is this important for kinship carers?

At Darlington Kinship Connect, we believe that the voices and experiences of kinship carers should be heard when decisions are made about the services and support available to families.

This is an opportunity for carers, including kinship carers, connected carers and foster carers, to share their experiences, contribute their ideas and help influence how services work in the future.

Your experiences matter, and your voice deserves to be heard.

✅ Interested in attending?

Please see the attached poster for further information and the booking link.

We encourage anyone interested in improving services for children, families and carers across Darlington to get involved!

Darlington Kinship Connect

22/10/2026

🎃👻 **HALLOWEEN PARTY 2026!** 👻🎃

**Calling all Kinship Families, Connected Carers and Foster Families!**

Our annual Halloween Party is almost here, and we still have some spaces available! We'd love for you to join us for an afternoon packed with spooky fun, laughter and entertainment! 🕸️

📅 **Tuesday 27th October 2026**
⏰ **2pm – 4pm**
🎟️ **£3 per child | Adults FREE!**
💷 **CASH ONLY EVENT**

We've got a fantastic afternoon planned, including:

🎶 Halloween Disco & Music
🎨 Face Painting
🎈 Balloon Twisting
🎃 Party Games & Entertainment
👻 Special Character Visits
🌭 Hot Dogs, Crisps & Drinks
🎁 Party Bags for the Children!

☕ **Complimentary tea and coffee for adults!**

It's a fantastic opportunity for families to come together, enjoy themselves and make some wonderful memories!

🧡 **SPACES ARE LIMITED, SO BOOK NOW!**

🔗 **Book your places here:**
https://bookwhen.com/darlingtonkinshipconnect

🔒 **Safeguarding Notice:** To protect the privacy and safety of the children and families attending, the event location will only be shared with confirmed bookings.

We can't wait to see everyone dressed up and ready for some Halloween fun! 🎃

**From everyone at Darlington Kinship Connect!** 🧡

**Please note:**
• This is a cash-only event.
• Adults attend free of charge.
• All children must be accompanied and supervised by a responsible adult throughout the event.
• Places must be booked in advance.

14/10/2026

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR SPECIAL GUARDIANSHIP ORDER (SGO) HOLDERS

We have been made aware of an article published yesterday by Social Work World (13 October 2026), which contains some important information regarding Special Guardianship Allowances and the responsibilities of local authorities.

If you hold a Special Guardianship Order, particularly if you currently receive financial support, have had your allowance reduced or stopped, or are considering requesting financial support, we encourage you to take a few minutes to read this article.

The article explains:

- How Special Guardianship Allowances are calculated and means-tested.
- Your rights when requesting an assessment for financial support.
- What local authorities must consider when deciding how much financial support to provide.
- The procedures councils must follow before reducing or stopping an allowance.
- Your rights to challenge decisions and request explanations.
- The circumstances in which certain financial support may be provided without means testing.

An important point to highlight: Local authorities cannot simply reduce or stop an ongoing allowance without following the relevant procedures. This includes providing notice of a proposed decision, allowing carers an opportunity to respond, and explaining the final decision.

Financial support is not automatically guaranteed to every SGO holder, but there are regulations and statutory guidance governing how decisions should be made.

At Darlington Kinship Connect, we believe it is important that kinship carers understand their rights and have access to information that may affect their families.

📖 Read the full article here:

https://socialworkworld.org/special-guardianship-allowance-means-test-review-explained/

Source: Social Work World, How a special guardianship allowance is worked out, and what a council must do before cutting it, published 13 October 2026.

The article references the Special Guardianship Regulations 2005 and Department for Education statutory guidance.

Please feel free to share this information with other Special Guardians who may benefit from it.

Darlington Kinship Connect
Supporting, connecting and empowering kinship families.

Thank you to our Volunteer Sam for making us aware of this article.

There is no fixed rate, but there are rules. What the means test counts, what you have to report each year, and the notice a council must give before it reduces or stops the money.

09/10/2026

💜 A Huge Thank You from Darlington Kinship Connect! 💜

What a lovely morning we've had celebrating Kinship Week 2026!

We would like to say a massive thank you to everyone who joined us for our Kinship Week Coffee Morning today!

It was wonderful to welcome so many kinship carers, foster carers, connected carers, professionals and supporters, all coming together to celebrate Kinship Week and, most importantly, the incredible carers who make such a difference in children's lives every single day.

We would also like to give a special thank you to Mags, Councillor Nick Wallis, and all our wonderful volunteers for taking the time to join us, support the event and help make the morning such a lovely occasion. We really do appreciate everything you do!

And to those who arrived a little later and unfortunately missed out on being in our photographs (Which I am sure some of you may be grateful for 😅), we haven't forgotten about you! We are just as grateful that you came along and joined in the celebrations.

We really hope everyone enjoyed the morning, the conversations, the company and, of course, all the lovely cakes and treats!

Events like today are about so much more than just a coffee morning. They're about bringing people together, building connections, raising awareness and recognising the love, dedication and commitment that goes into caring for children.

To all our kinship carers, foster carers and connected carers, today was about celebrating YOU!

Whether you're a grandparent, aunt, uncle, sibling, family friend or foster carer, the love, stability and support you provide to children deserves to be recognised and celebrated.

Thank you again to everyone who took the time to join us and help make the morning so special. We hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as we enjoyed having you!

From all of us at Darlington Kinship Connect, Happy Kinship Week!

09/10/2026

Our lovely Coffee Morning is underway!! Please do pop down and say Hello, we would love to see you!! This celebration is for you!! Happy Kinship Week, to our lovely carers!!

Thank you to Lynn from Batter Be good for the wonderful cakes!! They were delicious & went down a treat!!