ALMOST a third of families who care for their relatives’ children say they could be forced to give them up due to the cost-of-living crisis, a charity warned today.

Nine in 10 kinship carers have reported struggling to make ends meet due to rising prices, according to a survey of 1,500 families carried out by care charity Kinship. 

For some, the financial strain is so severe they fear being prevented from continuing to care for their relatives’ children, the charity found, saying this was the case in just under a third of respondents. 

“This would be a massive tragedy that is entirely preventable,” Kinship chief executive Dr Lucy Peake told the BBC. 

The charity claims that the current support for kinship carers is “inadequate and patchy,” and is calling on the government to provide them with the same level of financial support as that offered to foster families. 

A Department for Education spokesperson said the government will look at recommendations on how to support kinship carers further later this year.