Using design futures, scenario writing, visioning, workshop design
Using design futures, scenario writing, visioning, workshop design
Using design futures, scenario writing, visioning, workshop design
Using design futures, scenario writing, visioning, workshop design
Evisioning the future of kinship care
Evisioning the future of kinship care
Evisioning the future of kinship care
Evisioning the future of kinship care
Using design futures, scenario writing, visioning, workshop design
Evisioning the future of kinship care
The challenge
An estimated 200,000 children are growing up in kinship care in the UK. Support for kinship carers and their children varies across the country, however many carers find that the help on offer isn’t enough and they often find themselves practically, financially and/ or emotionally struggling.
In light of this Grandparents Plus, a major UK kinship care charity, decided to hold an event to move the current conversation around kinship care forwards. They wanted attendees to think beyond existing systems and structures (such as adoption or fostering) and create a future model specifically designed for kinship care.
Workshop photos
The approach
Combining creative tools, kinship care research and expert insight in the room, the workshop supported participants to work through a design-led process to co-create ideas and solutions to current and future kinship care challenges. The workshop process took participants through 3 stages which included:
1) Empathising: Bringing kinship care families, their situations, needs and challenges to life with participants
2) Prioritising: Identifying and prioritising the key challenges and opportunities facing kinship care families
3) Ideation & Synthesis: Developing new ideas and solutions to some of these challenges.
The challenge
An estimated 200,000 children are growing up in kinship care in the UK. Support for kinship carers and their children varies across the country, however many carers find that the help on offer isn’t enough and they often find themselves practically, financially and/ or emotionally struggling.
In light of this Grandparents Plus, a major UK kinship care charity, decided to hold an event to move the current conversation around kinship care forwards. They wanted attendees to think beyond existing systems and structures (such as adoption or fostering) and create a future model specifically designed for kinship care.
Workshop photos
The approach
Combining creative tools, kinship care research and expert insight in the room, the workshop supported participants to work through a design-led process to co-create ideas and solutions to current and future kinship care challenges. The workshop process took participants through 3 stages which included:
1) Empathising: Bringing kinship care families, their situations, needs and challenges to life with participants
2) Prioritising: Identifying and prioritising the key challenges and opportunities facing kinship care families
3) Ideation & Synthesis: Developing new ideas and solutions to some of these challenges.
The challenge
An estimated 200,000 children are growing up in kinship care in the UK. Support for kinship carers and their children varies across the country, however many carers find that the help on offer isn’t enough and they often find themselves practically, financially and/ or emotionally struggling.
In light of this Grandparents Plus, a major UK kinship care charity, decided to hold an event to move the current conversation around kinship care forwards. They wanted attendees to think beyond existing systems and structures (such as adoption or fostering) and create a future model specifically designed for kinship care.
Workshop photos
The approach
Combining creative tools, kinship care research and expert insight in the room, the workshop supported participants to work through a design-led process to co-create ideas and solutions to current and future kinship care challenges. The workshop process took participants through 3 stages which included:
1) Empathising: Bringing kinship care families, their situations, needs and challenges to life with participants
2) Prioritising: Identifying and prioritising the key challenges and opportunities facing kinship care families
3) Ideation & Synthesis: Developing new ideas and solutions to some of these challenges.
The challenge
An estimated 200,000 children are growing up in kinship care in the UK. Support for kinship carers and their children varies across the country, however many carers find that the help on offer isn’t enough and they often find themselves practically, financially and/ or emotionally struggling.
In light of this Grandparents Plus, a major UK kinship care charity, decided to hold an event to move the current conversation around kinship care forwards. They wanted attendees to think beyond existing systems and structures (such as adoption or fostering) and create a future model specifically designed for kinship care.
Workshop photos
The approach
Combining creative tools, kinship care research and expert insight in the room, the workshop supported participants to work through a design-led process to co-create ideas and solutions to current and future kinship care challenges. The workshop process took participants through 3 stages which included:
1) Empathising: Bringing kinship care families, their situations, needs and challenges to life with participants
2) Prioritising: Identifying and prioritising the key challenges and opportunities facing kinship care families
3) Ideation & Synthesis: Developing new ideas and solutions to some of these challenges.
The challenge
An estimated 200,000 children are growing up in kinship care in the UK. Support for kinship carers and their children varies across the country, however many carers find that the help on offer isn’t enough and they often find themselves practically, financially and/ or emotionally struggling.
In light of this Grandparents Plus, a major UK kinship care charity, decided to hold an event to move the current conversation around kinship care forwards. They wanted attendees to think beyond existing systems and structures (such as adoption or fostering) and create a future model specifically designed for kinship care.
Workshop photos
The approach
Combining creative tools, kinship care research and expert insight in the room, the workshop supported participants to work through a design-led process to co-create ideas and solutions to current and future kinship care challenges. The workshop process took participants through 3 stages which included:
1) Empathising: Bringing kinship care families, their situations, needs and challenges to life with participants
2) Prioritising: Identifying and prioritising the key challenges and opportunities facing kinship care families
3) Ideation & Synthesis: Developing new ideas and solutions to some of these challenges.
FOR LUTON COUNCIL
The outcome
GrandParents Plus will be using the event outputs to guide how to spend their time and resources over the coming years. As no formal model for kinship care currently exists, the seven model principles and fourteen ideas created by participants will be used as a starting point for developing a future, national kinship care model.
The outcome
GrandParents Plus will be using the event outputs to guide how to spend their time and resources over the coming years. As no formal model for kinship care currently exists, the seven model principles and fourteen ideas created by participants will be used as a starting point for developing a future, national kinship care model.
The outcome
GrandParents Plus will be using the event outputs to guide how to spend their time and resources over the coming years. As no formal model for kinship care currently exists, the seven model principles and fourteen ideas created by participants will be used as a starting point for developing a future, national kinship care model.
The outcome
GrandParents Plus will be using the event outputs to guide how to spend their time and resources over the coming years. As no formal model for kinship care currently exists, the seven model principles and fourteen ideas created by participants will be used as a starting point for developing a future, national kinship care model.
The outcome
GrandParents Plus will be using the event outputs to guide how to spend their time and resources over the coming years. As no formal model for kinship care currently exists, the seven model principles and fourteen ideas created by participants will be used as a starting point for developing a future, national kinship care model.
FOR THE CHARITY KINSHIP
Role: Principal Service Designer, project lead
Designing digital support for carers in moments of crisis & uncertainty
The challenge
Kinship carers (defined as a family member or close friend who steps in to raise a child when their parents can’t) often step into the role during moments of crisis. During this time they will often have to navigate legal processes and unfamiliar systems without clear guidance or support under a lot of emotional strain. Many don’t know what help exists, what they’re entitled to, or where to begin.
The approach
We worked closely with kinship carers and professionals to understand the lived experience of those entering care arrangements under stress and uncertainty. Many participants were navigating trauma, lacked digital confidence, or had low trust in formal services. Our approach was trauma-informed and person-centred, combining flexible in-depth interviews, co-design sessions and low-fidelity prototypes shaped for emotionally sensitive contexts.
To design digital support that worked in high-stress moments, we drew on evidence from research into emergency services and military settings, where users are also required to process information and make decisions under pressure. This helped shape content delivery, interaction design and emotional tone across the service.
The outcome
The Kinship Compass prototype offers tailored guidance, responsive support and a starting point for carers feeling overwhelmed or isolated. It simplifies access to grants, legal advice and peer support, helping users feel seen, supported and more in control.
