Poppy holding #ValueOurLove placard outside Parliament. Summer 2024. Credit: Kinship.
Children in kinship care are not often talked about.
The Campaign
Kinship care is when friends or family step up to raise a child when their parents aren’t able to. Across England and Wales there are approximately 141,000 children in kinship care, however their needs are often ignored. Many feel invisible to society as their family situation, past trauma and support needs are not well understood. Over half of children in kinship care in England have mental health difficulties with many having experienced the same trauma as children in the care system.
Poppy, who grew up in kinship care, sought to shine a light on these challenges and she is one of very few young people speaking out.
As part of Kinship’s #ValueOurLove campaign, Poppy led the campaign calling on the Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, to ensure children in kinship families were recognised by the new government and given the support they need in their first 100 days in office.
The nomination for SMK’s Young Campaigner Award is a real honour and I feel proud of everything the campaign has achieved. It has been so fulfilling to work with Kinship, and alongside the kinship carers who continue to push the #ValueOurLove campaign forward.”
The Change
Poppy wrote an open letter to the Education Secretary – bravely sharing her own experiences, and calling for better financial support for kinship families, alongside more educational and therapeutic support for children in kinship care. The letter gained over 7000 signatures in just over one month, including celebrities such as actors Brian Cox and Jay Konzle, and rapper Professor Green, who were all raised in kinship care.
Kinship carers’ response was incredibly positive with one saying on social media: “Good for you Poppy, congratulations, you make your Grandmother proud”.
Poppy handed in the letter and led a meeting with Children’s Minister Janet Daby, pressing her on the needs of children in kinship care, to which the Minister said: “I will use my 15 years of frontline social care experience to be a champion for kinship carers and their children.”
Poppy then went on to deliver a speech at a Kinship Parliamentary Reception, in front of over 170 attendees including MPs and Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson. Later that week (October 2024), the government announced £44 million funding to support kinship and foster care in England. The announcement’s timing couldn’t be regarded as a coincidence and was a big win for the Value Our Love campaign. It was the first public commitment and policy announcement from the new government to support kinship families.
The Future
Poppy’s willingness to be vulnerable, particularly as the voices of children in kinship care are so few in the public domain.
Poppy bravely shared very personal and challenging experiences growing up in kinship care. In her Parliamentary reception speech she recounted: “[If I] had been offered counselling, advice and support back then, I think it would have reduced my anxiety. I wish someone had helped me understand my emotions and everything that had happened to me when I was a kid. Children growing up in kinship care feel we’re treated differently and unfairly – we’re forgotten.”
Poppy’s campaigning has been truly trailblazing, providing a platform for more young people who grew up in kinship care to start talking about their experiences. The Education Secretary mentioned this too: “Poppy, it was such a privilege to hear from you… thank you for your honesty and your bravery and for speaking up for those whose voices are not heard.”
