This final episode in the current series is all about kinship care.  This is when caring responsibilities for a child are taken on by extended family or friends because parents are unable to play that role any longer.

There are many reasons why children end up in such arrangements, it could be as a result of a bereavement or ill health, or because parents are having problems with drugs or alcohol. There are estimated to be around 180,000 children in these arrangements in the UK, but the rights and responsibilities of kinship carers is a complex area, and sometimes there is very little support available. It is often grandparents that take on the role, and they may be on low incomes and struggling themselves. The children will have had some difficult experiences in their lives, and this can add to a very challenging situation for their new carers. Nevertheless,  the outcomes for children in these arrangements are reported as better than for those in statutory care. So, it is a vital way for children to be cared for at a critical time, and those that take on the role deserve recognition for what they do.

Joining TV presenter and journalist Richard Arnold to explore this important but underreported area further are Alec Robertson from the Kinship Support Team at Edinburgh Council and John Hamilton, Grants Development Officer for Buttle UK. 

This episode is about the use of boarding education to support vulnerable children.  Buttle UK have been funding grants to support children from disadvantaged backgrounds to attend boarding school for nearly 70 years. The idea might seem counter intuitive, particularly to those who have a particular image of what a boarding school is like. However, the outcomes for children are impressive.  The GCSE results of the children Buttle UK supports are consistently above the national average, never mind those for comparative cohorts of vulnerable young people.

So, how and why does it work? And, as we emerge from the pandemic, is there anything it can teach us about how to address the  growing education gap between disadvantaged children and their more affluent peers?

Joining writer, journalist and radio broadcaster Stig Abell is Julien Andre and Mark Alexander, previous students supported by Buttle UK, and Adam Williams, Head at Lord Wandsworth College, who have a long history of supporting these sort of bursary places.

It almost goes without saying, but raising children when you don’t have much money is tough. Most parents want the best for their children, but the pressures of raising children when you can’t afford the basics creates enormous stress.  And when parents worry, their children worry too.

All of this is even more difficult if you are doing it on your own.  Single parents do a brilliant job, and being a child to a single parent can be a wonderful experience, but paying the bills and juggling both work and family life is undoubtedly a huge challenge. 

Join Peta Todd - writer, presenter, model and busy mum of four children – as she looks at what it means to be a parent on a low income and, in particular, the challenges, stigma and struggles of being a single parent.  Peta is joined by Victoria Benson, CEO at Gingerbread, the leading national charity working with single-parent families and Buttle UK’s Joe Howes.