A NEW project has been set up to support grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles and other adults who care for their relatives’ children.

Relative Experience is a North-East support and information group for ‘kinship carers’, family members other than parents who look after children.

Previously in Middlesbrough and Tyne and Wear for three-and-a-half years, the scheme has now expanded to cover County Durham and Darlington.

In the UK, there are 300,000 children who are looked after by kinship carers, some with formal and permanent arrangements, some temporary and informal.

The number is four times that of children in foster care.

Kinship carers face many challenges, including difficult family relationships and managing parental contact. Carers may be older than the average parent, be retired or may have to give up work. Many carers may already be looking after a partner, relative or neighbour, not to mention finding space for the child to live.

Supported by the Big Lottery fund, Relative Experience (Darlington) is made up of three charities, Family Lives, Grandparents Plus and the Family and Childcare Trust, supporting an estimated 300 kinship care families in County Durham and Darlington.

They are currently looking for volunteers to befriend kinship carers and refer them to other agencies where appropriate.

Mark den Hollander, from Family Lives said: “Nationally, and in County Durham and Darlington, kinship carers face many emotional, physical and financial difficulties. Being a befriending volunteer by offering one-to-one befriending support to these families helps to make a real difference in their lives and contributes to the strength of community spirit in County Durham and Darlington.”

If you would like more information on becoming a volunteer befriender, please contact Mark den Hollander on 07711-556811 or email at markdh@familylives.org.uk