The Education Alliance has achieved gold standard kinship-friendly employer status as part of its commitment to support its employees in balancing work while looking after children.
The status is awarded by kinship care charity Kinship to organisations which implement HR policies to support employees who are kinship carers. This involves helping to raise the child of a family member or friend whose parents are unable to care for them.
The Education Alliance received gold standard following the introduction of paid kinship care leave for its employees that is equal to the organisation’s adoption leave and pay, as well as providing information to kinship carers and signposting where they can access further support.
Resources available to the alliance and its workforce include free online and in-person training workshops, and a free kinship-friendly toolkit which includes template policies, checklists, and guidance for HR and line managers.
Jonny Uttley, chief executive officer (CEO) of The Education Alliance, said: “Supporting our colleagues who are kinship carers by providing full rights equivalent to paid adoption leave is important for us as a trust. We want working at The Education Alliance to be compatible with a full and happy life outside work so providing paid leave when people need it the most is an essential part of that. Too often, the extraordinary work kinship carers do is overlooked so we are proud to be part of a growing community of employers seeking to ring positive change.”
Lucy Peake, CEO of Kinship, added: “I’m thrilled that The Education Alliance has become a gold-standard kinship-friendly employer, providing vital recognition and practical support to all of those employed by the trust. When employers introduce policies to support kinship carers in the workforce, it enables them to remain in work, protecting their incomes and career prospects. There is currently a sharp contrast between the workplace support that is given to adopters and parents and that which is available to kinship carers.”
