Bolton chosen for kinship zone child care payments under £126m pilot

The government will pilot kinship care payments in seven areas, including Bolton, as part of a £126 million programme that could help around 5,000 vulnerable children over up to three and a half years.

The government has announced a pilot to provide financial allowances to kinship carers, and Bolton in Greater Manchester is one of seven launch areas. The programme is backed by £126 million and is set to run for up to three and a half years. Officials say the pilot could reach about 5,000 vulnerable children and their families. National charities and some politicians described the move as a positive step while also warning it will cover only a small share of kinship carers. Key facts: - The pilot will operate in seven areas called Kinship Zones: Bexley, Bolton, Newcastle, North East Lincolnshire, Medway, Thurrock and Wiltshire. - The Department for Education has allocated £126 million for the programme, which may run for up to three and a half years and is reported to target roughly 5,000 children and families. - Children and families minister Josh MacAlister said the trial allowance recognises the role of grandparents, aunts, uncles and others who provide kinship care. - The charity Kinship and others welcomed the pilot but noted it would reach only a small fraction of kinship carers nationally and warned of continued postcode variation in support. - Foundations, a government-funded organisation, has been named to evaluate the pilot and build evidence on outcomes for carers and children. - The charity cited figures saying that for every 100 children in well-supported kinship care rather than local authority care, the state could save £4 million per year and those children could gain £2 million in lifetime earnings. Summary: The pilot aims to test a new financial allowance for kinship carers and to gather evidence through a formal evaluation. The immediate impact will be limited to the seven selected areas and the families they reach. Findings from the Foundations evaluation will inform whether and how support might be extended more widely.