Seeking: Safeguarding Trustee
We are seeking a trustee with safeguarding expertise to join our Board and provide strategic oversight and guidance in relation to safeguarding practice across our organisation.
Could you bring your safeguarding insight to help us ask the right questions and hold ourselves to the highest standards?
This role is critical in ensuring that we maintain the highest standards in protecting children, young people and vulnerable adults.
The Safeguarding Trustee will gain the opportunity to influence organisational culture, decision-making and how safeguarding is embedded in practice, shape approaches in a complex setting and contribute to a respected community organisation making a meaningful local impact.
Please share with colleagues or contacts who may also be interested.
Completed application forms should be sent to admin@kingstoncarers.org.uk by 19 May
Kingston Carers Network signs national open letter calling for reform of Carer’s Allowance on 50th Anniversary
Kingston Carers Network has joined organisations across the UK in calling for urgent action to address carer poverty by signing a national open letter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
The letter, coordinated by the Carer Poverty Coalition and led by Carers UK, was sent on 10 April 2026 and calls for a comprehensive review of Carer’s Allowance following the 50th anniversary of its introduction on 12 April 1976.
The anniversary has prompted renewed scrutiny of how well the benefit system reflects the realities of caring today. While Carer’s Allowance was designed for a very different economic and employment landscape, millions of unpaid carers now balance caring responsibilities with paid work. However, the current system - including the earnings threshold and restrictions around education and training - can create financial instability and barriers to opportunity.
The open letter calls on the Government to:
- Commission a full review of Carer’s Allowance
- Increase the level of financial support for carers
- Remove barriers to employment and education
- Address gaps in support for carers over State Pension age
- Consider additional financial recognition for carers supporting more than one person
Kingston Carers Network’s CEO, Rachael Stokes, is among the signatories to the letter, underlining our commitment to amplifying the voices of unpaid carers both locally and nationally.
We continue to highlight the financial pressures faced by unpaid carers in Kingston and the need for a system that better recognises and supports them.
If you are an unpaid carer in Kingston and would like support, we offer free information, advice and support to help with caring responsibilities and wellbeing.
Register with us or contact our friendly team for more information.
Read the full letter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions here.
Kingston Carers Network nominated for two Kingston Borough Business Awards
We’re delighted to be finalists in two categories for the KBBA 2026 awards: Community Impact of the Year and Outstanding Young Futures.
These awards recognise organisations making a real difference through community impact, innovation and a commitment to inclusion and wellbeing. As a charity, being chosen would help us reach more people and expand our impact.
This year, for the first time, anyone can vote for the new Kingston Business Choice Award, chosen across all categories.
Please consider taking a moment to vote for us - your support helps us continue creating meaningful change for carers. Voting deadline: midday, April 23rd.
Find out more about the Kingston Borough Business Awards.