Hundreds of households in Northumberland in kinship care arrangements

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) defines kinship care as children aged under 18 being looked after by family members who are not their parents.

Estimates from the 2021 census suggest there were at least 785 children looked after by 1,015 kinship carers in Northumberland.

However, information on family relationships is only available for households with fewer than six members – so the true figures may be higher.

Nearly three-fifths of children (59%) lived with at least one grandparent, the ONS figures revealed.

Steve Smallwood, from the ONS, said it is “striking how important grandparents are in providing care”.

The figures also show that those in kinship care households were more likely to have a family member with a disability and more likely to be missing work due to long-term illness.