{"value":{"id":1885331,"askingMemberId":5320,"askingMember":null,"house":"Commons","memberHasInterest":false,"dateTabled":"2026-02-26T00:00:00","dateForAnswer":"2026-03-02T00:00:00","uin":"116235","questionText":"To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the Kinship Allowance Pilot will commence; and when she plans to publish the list of the ten selected local authorities participating in that pilot.","answeringBodyId":60,"answeringBodyName":"Department for Education","isWithdrawn":false,"isNamedDay":false,"groupedQuestions":[],"answerIsHolding":false,"answerIsCorrection":false,"answeringMemberId":5033,"answeringMember":null,"correctingMemberId":null,"correctingMember":null,"dateAnswered":"2026-03-04T00:00:00","answerText":"<p>The department announced on 27 February that the Kinship Allowance pilot will be delivered through the new Kinship Zones programme, which will operate in seven local authority areas: Bexley, Bolton, Newcastle, North East Lincolnshire, Medway, Thurrock and Wiltshire.</p><p>Delivery of support through the Kinship Zones will begin on 1 April 2026, with local authorities leading engagement with eligible kinship families ahead of the rollout.</p><p>The seven participating local authorities were selected following last year’s expression of interest process. The final seven were selected because they provided the strongest conditions for generating robust evidence across a diverse range of local contexts and helping the maximum number of children while remaining within budget constraints.</p><p>Details of the participating areas have already been published, and further information about the wider Kinship Zones programme is available here: <a href=\"https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-launches-investment-in-support-for-kinship-carers\" target=\"_blank\">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-launches-investment-in-support-for-kinship-carers</a>.</p>","originalAnswerText":"","comparableAnswerText":"","dateAnswerCorrected":null,"dateHoldingAnswer":null,"attachmentCount":0,"heading":"Kinship Care: Finance","attachments":[],"groupedQuestionsDates":[]},"links":[{"rel":"self","href":"/Questions/1885331","method":"GET"}]}