Sam Turner
@samtrner.bsky.social
Associate Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Kinship. Interested in children and families, education, policymaking, participation and politics. Geordie and thrower of frisbees. Views my own.
Any Clacton residents who want to nominate your friendly neighbourhood intergalactic space warrior, ping me a line!
Kinship carers are family or friends who step up to care for a child when their parents aren't able to, such as during an unexpected crisis. I joined the #ValueOurLove campaign in Westminster yesteday which is calling for financial, practical and emotional support for kinship carers.
This week, I met with @kinshipcharity.bsky.social and Wendy Turner, a dedicated campaigner, calling for paid parental leave for vital kinship carers 💛 Today, I wrote to @katedeardenmp.bsky.social to outline why the Government’s parental leave review must close this gap in the law.
I'm sorry for making Nadhim feel unsafe but honestly my toddler doesn't sleep very well.
Roland Smith@rolandmcs.bsky.social · 6mo agoNadhim Zahawi thinks London is now unsafe, because the other day a tired-looking man walked past him during the morning rush hour.
This week in Parliament, I met with Kinship UK to discuss the contributions of kinship carers and what more that needs to be done to ensure that kinship families get the support that they deserve.
After seven and a half years of weekly parenting columns for the Observer, today's will be my last. I started writing the column a few weeks before becoming a dad, so I've never parented without it. I'll miss it more than I express in words, but I had a go anyway. observer.co.uk/news/columni...
A fond fatherly farewell | The Observer
What a privilege it has been to trace each wobbling step along the parental path. I’m going to miss it
observer.co.uk
Sorry, no, Motability was not about 'helping the most vulnerable' - it was about providing people who need modified vehicles modified vehicles!
The balance between acute and preventative services has shifted dramatically. E.g. children's services Spending on services like children's centres is down 79% in real terms, while acute services (e.g. looked after children) is up 71% That contributes to rising acute demand in the long-term
Lovely to join the Kinship carers event at Whitton Community Centre for #KinshipCareWeek. With thanks to Anna from the Kinship London group – an absolute force of nature & tremendous advocate for kinship carers.
Happy #KinshipCareWeek! 🥳 There's loads going on this week across England and Wales, but I'd suggest you start by checking out this incredible new short film which celebrates the power of peer support and community for #KinshipCarers.
In The Same Boat | Kinship Care Week 2025
YouTube video by Kinship
youtube.com
The new #Kinship report is clear that much more needs to be done to ensure that all #KinshipFamilies get the support they need and deserve. I’ll continue to advocate for #KinshipCarers and their children in South Shields. #KinshipCareWeek kinship.org.uk/our-work-and...
Handle With Care: Annual survey of kinship carers 2025
Explore key findings from our 2025 annual survey of more than 1,900 kinship carers and learn more about kinship families and the policy context in 2025.
kinship.org.uk
Check out our @kinshipcharity.bsky.social new report - Handle With Care - published today ahead of #KinshipCareWeek, featuring key findings from our largest ever annual survey of more than 1,900 #KinshipCarers. #KinshipCare #ValueOurLove
Handle With Care: Annual survey of kinship carers 2025
Explore key findings from our 2025 annual survey of more than 1,900 kinship carers and learn more about kinship families and the policy context in 2025.
kinship.org.uk
I feel duty-bound to share this nonsense by Mary Wakefield for @thespectator1828.bsky.social but it does demand some sort of response www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-...
The painful truth about foster care
The foster care system in this country is collapsing. There are roughly 80,000 children who’ve been removed from violent or neglectful parents and need homes, but there’s a catastrophic lack of people...
spectator.co.uk
My latest: On the AI aesthetic, techno-millenarianism, and why the new right doesn’t understand genius.
Plato vs Grok
The revenge of the nerds is upon us and it's incredibly naff.
open.substack.com
Incredible that this is all the same article. How utterly pathetic
'Too often, government is looking for one answer to a problem that it can scale; the perfect pilot that can make a difference everywhere. It still sees change as an industrial process.' Electric blog from Vidhya Alakeson, Deputy Chief of Staff to the PM www.powertochange.org.uk/evidence-and...
The leaders who make things happen: lessons in governing from community business - Power to Change
Community businesses drive change where it matters most—locally. From leading Power to Change to advising Number 10, Vidhya Alakeson knows more than most th ...
powertochange.org.uk
The Independent Group For Change (UK) is up for grabs again, for what it's worth
Really lovely shout out from former children's minister David Johnston MP highlighting @kinshipcharity.bsky.social's #ValueOurLove campaigning tactics and the impact this had on MPs and colleagues in government. From this week's Policy Unstuck: policyunstuck.castfromclay.co.uk.
I am shocked, shocked I tell you.
National Children's Bureau@ncb.org.uk · last yr.The first findings of the evaluation led by NCB & @veriangroup.com of the government's family help and children’s social care reforms were shared last week. They reveal improved co-working between key agencies & effective embedding of family-led decision-making. Read the findings: buff.ly/PCbTli5
Great to see two images of the Minister meeting with kinship carers and @kinshipcharity.bsky.social in this roundup of the last year!
Janet Daby MP@janetdaby.bsky.social · last yr.It’s been an honour to serve as the MP for Lewisham East and a Government Minister in the last year. I've visited children’s services nationwide and spoken to stakeholders. It is clear that much more work still needs to be done.
Over 1.6m children are now impacted by the Two-Child Limit - 11.6% of all children This is a cruel policy that unnecessarily drags children into deeper levels of hardship It needs to go, and the longer it is kept, the greater the scarring effects on children's health and education will be
Katie Schmuecker @katieschmuecker.bsky.social · last yr.The latest @jrf-uk.bsky.social cost of living tracker (May 2025) reveals the depth of hardship among low income families with 3+ children 🛑Almost 9 in 10 (88%) went without essentials in the previous 6 months 🛑 8 in 10 (82%) were in arrears 🛑7 in 10 (71%) held a loan taken out to pay for essentials.
Minoritised ethnic #kinship families face heightened challenges, shaped by inequalities & experiences of racism. To understand how to support these children, we need to understand their views & needs. Our new funding call aims to fill this evidence gap 👉 foundations.org.uk/launch-of-ca...
Very welcome contribution from the Education Committee today with its children's social care inquiry report, including strong recommendations around #KinshipCare which echo our #ValueOurLove campaign calls.
Kinship welcomes Education Committee children's social care inquiry report
Kinship welcomes today’s Education Committee report on children's social care which calls on the government to do more to support kinship families.
kinship.org.uk
Earlier this week we @kinshipcharity.bsky.social launched our 2025 annual survey. Really grateful to all those individuals and organisations who can help to promote with kinship carers and via your networks. kinship.org.uk/our-work-and...
Kinship launches 2025 annual survey for kinship carers
Take part in Kinship's 2025 annual survey for kinship carers. Help us fight for the changes that kinship families need in England and Wales.
kinship.org.uk
Thanks to @appgkinshipcare.bsky.social for inviting us @kinshipcharity.bsky.social along to join this spotlight session. Our research shows that children in kinship care have a prevalence of SEND comparable to other social care groups, but are less likely to be receiving formalised support. 👇
Forgotten: Support for kinship children’s education and mental health
Forgotten reveals insights from Kinship's 2023 survey, highlighting the urgent need for better support for kinship children's education and mental health across England and Wales.
kinship.org.uk
Kinship carers make huge sacrifices to take on the care of a child, with 45% having to stop work. Whilst I am glad that the Government's review will look at statutory paid leave for kinship carers, we cannot afford to have yet more dither and delay.
Really delighted to see our @kinshipcharity.bsky.social policy and campaigning work paying off as the government today launches its parental leave review and confirms the inclusion of kinship carers within its scope. 👏
Kinship celebrates inclusion of kinship carers within government’s parental leave review
Kinship today welcomes that support for kinship carers is included within the scope of the government’s long-awaited parental leave review.
kinship.org.uk