Kinship Care Mediation

Taylor Bracewell is pleased to support Resolution’s Family Mediation Week, taking place from 26 to 30 January 2026.

Kinship care is when a child is unable to live with their birth parents and is raised by a relative, family friend or another adult with a prior connection to the child rather than foster care through an agency.

Many Children in kinship care often have experienced adverse childhood scenarios and potentially face poorer outcomes than their peers. These challenges faced by not only the child but also the kinship carers can often lead to stress and conflict with the birth parents which can negatively impact the children’s long-term outcomes.

Kinship care mediation has become increasingly popular and helps to create a stronger line of communication with kinship carers and birth parents. Families may have several sessions as a group or individuals to diffuse the issue and discuss options regarding the child’s upbringing, contact with birth parents and decision-making. Doing this carefully and cautiously by integrating trauma-informed communication helps support both sets of parents and the child into coming to a joint agreement bringing as little stress as possible and helps the carers manage any difficult situations.

Kinship mediation also involves the child so they do not feel as though decisions are being made ‘for’ them and more ‘with’ them which allows a stronger relationship to be formed and bridge between the child and the kinship carers and their birth parents. Mediation focuses on what is in the best interests of the child and helps enforce conflict resolution to manage any conflicts swiftly and through a structured format so everyone is on the same page, most importantly focusing on the children’s needs at hand.

Our Family Team at Taylor Bracewell is on hand to assist with any enquiries or referrals relating to the mediation process. If you would like further information, guidance, or support in exploring whether mediation may be appropriate, please do not hesitate to contact the team on 01302 341414 or fill out our online enquiry form.