03/08/2026
Today, my UK Parliament petition has officially gone live. 💙
This campaign is deeply personal to me.
Nineteen years ago, I lost my sister, Samantha, to violent crime, and since then I have dedicated my life to making positive change in her memory.
Years later, we suffered another devastating loss when we tragically lost our brother. Following that, my husband and I stepped in to raise my nephew through kinship care, determined to provide him with the love, stability and security he deserved.
I didn't step in for recognition. I did it because family is family, and it didn't take much thought.
We receive no support for doing what we believe was the right thing to do. So, to discover that children in kinship care can lose access to free school meals if their kinship carers are not in receipt of qualifying benefits, and with that lose many of the opportunities and support that often come with free school meals such as help towards school trips, extracurricular activities, transport in some areas and other assistance was incredibly disheartening. It felt as though these children were being overlooked once again.
This isn't about giving kinship carers special treatment or rewarding higher-income households. It's about recognising the unique circumstances these children have faced. Many have experienced trauma, bereavement, abuse or neglect before coming to live with relatives or family friends. Their needs don't disappear simply because a family member steps in to give them a safe, loving home.
By stepping in to care for children during family crises, kinship carers often prevent children from entering local authority care. Despite the significant savings this can bring to local authorities, many kinship carers receive little or no financial support. More importantly, the children themselves can lose access to support that helps them thrive in school and feel included.
I could write pages about our own journey the lack of emotional support, the battles we've fought and how difficult the system can be but this petition isn't just about me.
Anyone who knows me knows that if I see something that needs to change, I'll do everything I can to try and change it. That's exactly what this campaign is about. I'm hoping to create a fairer future for children in kinship care, support the incredible work already being done for kinship families, and ensure the amazing people who put their own lives aside to give these children the love, stability and security they deserve are recognised and supported.
It's about ensuring that children in kinship care are recognised and supported for the circumstances they have faced, not overlooked because of who stepped in to care for them. No child should be disadvantaged after already experiencing so much loss and trauma.
If you believe these children deserve equal opportunities, I'd be incredibly grateful if you could take a minute to sign and share my petition. Every signature helps shine a light on an issue affecting thousands of kinship families across the UK.
🖊️ Please sign the petition here:
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/775471
Thank you so much for your support. Please share far and wide. Together, we can help ensure no kinship child is left behind. 💙
Make free school meals automatic for all children in kinship care, including those under Special Guardianship Orders and Child Arrangements Orders, regardless of household income. Kinship carers save the state money and should not be financially penalised for stepping up.
