This unusual lifestyle is full of highs and lows

Exploring social harms with kinship carers in North East England

Datos Bibliográficos

ID6424084
AutoresKim Hall (0000-0003-1022-7228, Northumbria University), Lucy Grimshaw (0000-0003-2536-9579, Northumbria University), Pamela Graham (0000-0001-9492-9272, Northumbria University), Pamela L Graham (Northumbria University)
Año2025
Volumen15
Número1
Páginas1-18
Fecha de publicación2025-04-11
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaFamilies Relationships and Societies (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 2046-7435 • E-ISSN: 2046-7443
EditorialPolicy Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1332/20467435y2025d000000057
OpenAlexW4409354069
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas19

Kinship carers are relatives or close friends who raise children who are unable to live with their birth parents. Kinship care families received little political attention until recently and have been viewed as complex and problematic. This article presents findings from a participatory research project with a kinship carers group from North East England. Drawing on categories of social harm, the article expands understanding of the experiences of kinship carers and their families, moving away from individualised narratives to recognise the social, political and economic factors that influence their lives. Fifty-three kinship carers completed an online survey, the responses of which were analysed deductively to understand their experiences of physical and mental health harms, autonomy harms and relational harms. The findings provide a unique, theoretical contribution to the existing literature on kinship care and draw attention to the need to address structural issues that prevent families from flourishing

Ethnology · Genealogy · Geography · Kinship · North east · Sociology · Anthropology · Child Welfare and Adoption · History · Homelessness and Social Issues · Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving