From 5–11 October, Family for Every Child and our members marked Global Kinship Care Week 2026, calling for greater recognition and support for the relatives and family friends raising children around the world.
This year, the week brought together 19 members across 18 countries, two global webinars with 250+ registrations, and the launch of a new policy brief mapping kinship care policy across 21 countries.
New policy brief: Kinship Care – Recognised in Policy, Invisible in Practice
Developed with Lumos and informed by our members, the brief sets out five recommendations to help close the gap between recognition of kinship care in policy and the support families receive in practice.
Read the brief · Watch the webinar recording · See the slides
International kinship care
Our second global webinar, with International Social Service (ISS), explored the growing reality of children being cared for by relatives across borders, with perspectives from Canada, Brazil and the UK.
Watch the recording · See the slides
Across the Alliance
Members marked the week through advocacy, events and engagement with governments, courts, social workers and community leaders — highlighting legal recognition, support for carers and the experiences of children and families.
Read the blog: What members are doing this week
More from Global Kinship Care Week
Carolyn Housman, CEO of our member Children and Families Across Borders (CFAB), spoke on behalf of Family for Every Child’s member organisations at the National Kinship Ambassador Reception. She shared findings from the recent policy scan and brief, Kinship Care: Recognised in Policy, Invisible in Practice. CFAB will launch new research next week on what needs to change to better support children with family overseas.
Visit the Kinship Care Community of Practice to see the latest developments from member activities.
The week is over, the work continues
Global Kinship Care Week has ended, but the push for change goes on. We will take the policy recommendations from Kinship Care: Recognised in Policy, Invisible in Practice to the Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children in Manilla this November. We encourage members and partners to use them in their own advocacy too.
There are three ways to stay involved:
- Share your photos, stories and updates in the Kinship Care Community of Practice, so we can show how kinship care is being championed around the world and learn from each other’s work.
- Join the Kinship Care Community of Practice on Changemakers for Children, a space to share practice, discuss challenges and shape future learning.
- Respond to our survey and help shape what the Community of Practice focuses on.
Thank you to everyone who helped make Global Kinship Care Week a space for learning, visibility and collective advocacy! We wish you all the best and look forward to seeing you at Global Kinship Care Week 2027!