Government backs ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ style family reunions for children in care
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Children in care and care leavers to be supported to connect with
relatives and build lifelong relationships. £8.4 million delivered
to expand Family Finding programmes across England. Follows
Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 which expanded support
for care leavers and role for families in making decisions about
care. Children in care and care leavers will be able to reconnect
with relatives, trusted adults, former carers, teachers and other
important...Request free trial
Children in care and care leavers will be able to reconnect with relatives, trusted adults, former carers, teachers and other important people in their lives, as the government expands family finding programmes across England. Existing family finding schemes provide a ‘Who Do You Think You Are' style service to care leavers, helping them locate and make contact with these important adults. Specially trained coordinators work with care-experienced children and young people to find out who is important to them and who they want to be back in touch with and then help make the right connections. This builds up not just their support network but also their sense of identity and place in the world, leading to vital reunions with key people in their lives. This is backed by a further £8.4 million investment in family finding programmes to roll them out across England and is part of the Enduring Relationships programme, published today. Crucially this will enable them to build the support networks needed to thrive into adulthood – something which most of us take for granted. The reforms follow the passage of the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 — the biggest overhaul of children's social care in a generation — and will make enduring relationships a central priority of the care system for the first time. Since 2023, the government has funded 25 family finding programmes and these have shown promising results, with participating children and young people gaining an average of nearly two additional meaningful relationships. More than a third reconnected with immediate family members, while others rebuilt connections with former teachers, social workers and other trusted adults. Family Finding has a good evidence base. A study by the Policy Institute at King's College London for the Centre for Homelessness Impact found that that one approach reduces the risk of homelessness by 10%. Forthcoming research findings also show that there were an average additional 2.2 connections for participants on Family Finding, showing that these programmes make a real difference in bringing care-experienced people closer to family. Children's Minister Josh MacAlister said: “We are giving more children in care the chance to reconnect with people important to them and build the lifelong relationships that most of us rely on for love, support and stability throughout adulthood. “For too long, the care system has been forced to focus on fighting fires, rather than helping children build the enduring relationships they need to achieve and thrive. “This government is gripping the problem – we have passed the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act and now we are investing and reforming to give children's social care the heart that children deserve.” The announcement forms part of the government's wider programme of reform to shift children's social care away from crisis intervention and towards stronger families, stable homes and lasting relationships. This includes an ongoing drive to create 10,000 new foster care places this parliament, £2.4 billion of investment in the Families First Partnership programme to keep vulnerable families together where possible, and a new financial allowance pilot for kinship carers. More than 81,000 children were in care as of March 2025, with many experiencing instability and isolation. In 2024, one in ten children in care moved home three or more times in a year, while more than one in five were living over 20 miles from their home community. Evidence shows care experienced young people face significantly poorer outcomes later in life, including higher rates of unemployment, homelessness and mental ill health. With today's publication the government is recognising that the current system too often prioritises short-term risk management over maintaining important family and community connections, particularly in the context of shortages in foster care and residential placements. Under the reforms, social workers and local authorities will be supported to place relationships at the centre of decision-making — including through stronger family group decision-making processes, support for reunification where safe, and expanded use of Family Network Support Packages to help children remain connected to their wider family networks. The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act expanded Staying Close support to all care leavers in England, meaning they will continue to get assistance from their local authority with crucial issues like housing, health and employment up to the age of 25. Separately, the DfE is also today launching an expert-led review of the children's homes to help make it more specialised and focused on supporting children with the most complex needs. The review will look at the skills, training and support children's homes staff need to help children build stable, lasting relationships and achieve better outcomes. It will also recommend improvements to qualifications, career development and leadership to help recruit and retain quality staff and raise standards across the sector. The Department for Education has also launched a 6-week public consultation, closing 14 July, on new statutory guidance for child safeguarding practitioners on the Information Sharing Duty designed to improve safeguarding and promotion of welfare for all children as introduced by the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act. It has been developed in partnership with stakeholder and practitioners, including the Information Commissioner's Office. This legal duty requires relevant organisations such as councils, social workers healthcare professionals and carers to share information relating to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, to ensure that agencies can more effectively protect children and understand their full circumstances. The new duty comes into force on 30 September and the consultation will help to refine guidance on how it works in practice. ENDS ANNEX: CASE STUDIES Mackenzie age 20 Mackenzie lives semi-independently now in Hertfordshire after moving back from a placement in Norfolk in January last year. Mackenzie spent a total of 6 years in care. He says he was placed in care by his dad who could not cope with his behaviour. His mother died when he was aged 8. Lifelong Links for Mackenzie centred around reconnecting him with his wider family including a successful family celebration and support plan. The outcome of Mackenzie's involvement with Lifelong Links is very positive in that he is more connected to his family, sees them regularly and spends time with them at events like Christmas. He is in training and education and feels supported by his family in this. Mackenzie has also made lots of new friends with other care leavers he has attended Lifelong Links social events with. Hannah age 22 Hannah was accommodated under Section 20 in January 2020 when she was nearly 16 years old. Hannah approached Lifelong Links to try and regain a relationship with her birth mother. She had tried herself in the past without success and hoped Lifelong Links could make this happen. Sadly, the response was a negative one from her Mum, but again because she was working with Lifelong Links, we were able to help her through this news and give her opportunities to express her feelings. Hannah is in contact with a paternal auntie and Lifelong Links re-introduced her to another paternal auntie. We were also able to go on a trip together “down memory lane” to help her revisit places she had shared with her father and grandparents before they died.
Hannah has benefited from the Lifelong Links peer
support groups and activities where she has met young people in
similar situations. “We as young people need this. We need this in our life. We need this to make true connections and find our value.” Tia age 19 Tia came into care in 2022 when she was 16, her Mum was dying of cancer and passed away in 2023. To begin with she lived with her aunty but then had to come into care with one of her sisters. Tia has worked with Lifelong Links both as a child in care and a care leaver. Tia wanted to reconnect with her father, who she had only ever met once before, her sister and her uncle. They all live around 3 hours away. Lifelong Links has supported Tia to allow this to happen, and they are now all part of her life, as are more extended paternal family. Lifelong Links has also supported Tia to have contact with her other sisters who she was separated from when she came into care and was subsequently adopted. Tia plays an active role in the Children in Care Council for Hertfordshire. “Having people around you is kind of like a bit like a comfort blanket in a way because you have people there for you to help you and be there for you and then having family is kind of the same thing it's like a again a comfort thing because you know that if you need to you can fall back on them because they can help you and then be there for you when you need them which is just really good” Luke age 22 Luke was accommodated under Section 20 in 2016. Prior to starting Lifelong Links, he was homeless and on probation, with very limited personal connections outside of professionals. He lacked a stable support network and experienced isolation. Through Lifelong Links, Luke has rebuilt meaningful family connections. He has been reunited with his paternal grandmother, as well as his half-sister and her extended family, who have welcomed him as one of their own. Luke has actively engaged in Lifelong Links bi-weekly support groups and events, becoming one of our strongest advocates. He now feels more connected, supported, and positive about his future, valuing the relationships and sense of belonging he has gained. Poppie age 18 When Poppie was 10 she was placed in foster care. This arrangement broke down and she was placed in residential in October 2021 where she stayed until she turned 18. This is where Poppie met Brigitte and Reuben who were support workers in her residential setting. When Poppie turned 18, she was given a “practice flat” to live in but was extremely isolated without birth family support. Fortunately for Poppie, these former workers, wanted to be “family” to her and turned to Lifelong Links to make this possible. Poppie now has a family. It's not a birth family, but they are family to her and vice versa. Poppie has been included in all the family events and outings. They have supported her in achieving GCSEs and through her college application and they are determined to help her realise her dream of going into medicine. She has been supported through another house move to the YMCA. She has been supported through medical appointments for childhood shoulder injuries, and she has been supported through getting into employment at her local Wetherspoons.
Reuben, Poppy's chosen adult and previous residential
support worker said: |