Member

Amendments 104 and 146, which relate to the introduction of financial support for kinship carers and kinship leave, were also tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Storey. We recognise the financial challenges that kinship carers experience, as well as the difficulties they encounter in trying to work alongside raising a child. That is why the Government in October 2024 announced £40 million of new funding for a kinship allowance pilot. This is the single biggest investment in kinship care made by any Government to date. The pilot is expected to go live in autumn 2025 and will provide a weekly allowance to kinship carers in selected local authorities to support them with the additional costs incurred when taking on parental responsibility for a child. As the noble Earl, Lord Effingham, said, it is crucial that we all recognise the significance of what has been undertaken.