Darlington Kinship Connect - Events
Kinship Coffee Morning – Celebrating Kinship Week in Darlington
Photograph source: Fostering in Darlington Facebook page.
On Thursday 9th October, around nineteen kinship and foster carers came together for a relaxed Kinship Coffee Morning held in partnership between Darlington Kinship Connect and Darlington Borough Council to celebrate Kinship Week.
The event offered carers a warm, welcoming space to meet others in similar situations, share their experiences, and talk openly about the challenges and joys of raising children within their extended families.
Collette Howe, founder of Darlington Kinship Connect, attended and represented the group, supporting local carers and helping to celebrate the growing kinship community in Darlington and the surrounding areas.
The morning was a lovely reminder of how valuable it is for carers to come together — to connect, chat, and know they’re not alone.
Kinship Week
Source: Kinship.org.uk Facebook Page
To mark #KinshipCareWeek over 100 #KinshipCarers from our Kinship peer support groups in the North East joined Kinship Ambassador and BBC Gladiators winner Joe Fishburn, as well as his grandmother, Christine, at a celebratory event at the home of Newcastle United Football Club, St James' Park. 💛
Joe and Christine took part in a heartwarming chat reflecting on both their experiences, as well as how naughty Joe was as a little boy!
The event was also broadcast live from BBC Radio Newcastle with interviews with kinship carers Collette, Stacy, Gillian and Janice as well as Kinship's CEO Dr Lucy Peake and Kinship's Associate Director of Policy and Public Affairs Sam Turner.
Darlington Kinship Connect Attend Kinship Week Launch in London.
Last Monday, Lindsay and Collette from Darlington Kinship Connect travelled to London to attend the official Kinship Week launch event, hosted by Kinship.
The day brought together kinship carers, charities, and supporters from across the country to celebrate and raise awareness of the vital role kinship families play in children’s lives.
It was an inspiring event filled with shared experiences, honest conversations, and a real sense of pride in the kinship community.
Lindsay and Collette were proud to represent Darlington Kinship Connect and to highlight the amazing work being done locally to support kinship carers across Darlington and the surrounding areas.
Events like this remind us how important it is for carers’ voices to be heard — and how much strength there is when we come together in support of one another.
We will be holding future workshops in the coming months, this will offer practical guidance and supportive learning across four key areas:
Upcoming workshops include:
Education – Navigating school systems and learning opportunities for children. (TBA)
- Money – Understanding finances, benefits, and budgeting tools. (TBA)
- Contact – Managing contact arrangements and family dynamics with confidence. (TBA)
All courses are completely free, funded through the Kinship Charity and the Department Of Education, they are open to kinship carers living in Darlington and surrounding areas.
To express interest or to stay up to date, please contact us through our website or follow Darlington Kinship Connect on Facebook - We'll be sharing more details soon.