The Department for Education has achieved the gold standard from the kinship friendly-employer scheme, due to its introduction of paid kinship care leave for employees caring for the child of a family member or friend.
The scheme, which was established by charity Kinship, offers support for kinship carers, who raise the child of a family member or friend whose parents are unable to, across England and Wales. Accreditations are awarded to employers which implement HR policies to support employees who do this, such as free training sessions, one-to-one support, peer support groups, an expert advice line, online information and support hub, and a toolkit.
The gold standard is awarded to organisations that offer paid leave to all kinship carers that is equal to their adoption leave and pay, which is why the Department was recognised. It also includes provides information to kinship carers and signposts to where they can access further support.
Susan Acland-Hood, permanent secretary of the Department for Education (pictured left), received the award in a presentation earlier this week.
She said: “Kinship carers play a crucial role in giving children a safe and loving home. What they do transforms children’s lives and life-chances, but they often aren’t given the same support as other parents and carers. It was important for us as an employer to back kinship carers in doing this remarkable, life-changing thing.
“I’m thrilled that the Department for Education has been named as a gold standard employer, recognising the resources we provide to kinship carers in our workforce, and I encourage all organisations to review their policies and explore the changes they can make.”
Lucy Peake, chief executive officer of Kinship, added: “The Department for Education becoming a gold standard kinship-friendly employer is a great first step for the civil service towards ensuring fairness and equality for kinship carers within their teams, and we hope that other government departments will follow [its] lead.”
