Upper Springfield Development Trust marked Kinship Carer Week with a coffee morning and art therapy workshop. The event took place at their facility in the Upper Springfield area of west Belfast.

Kinship carers are family members or close friends who care for children when parents cannot. In the Upper Springfield and Whiterock area, a Kinship Link Worker funded by the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust supports these families. The worker connects households to services and aids family stability.

The project has operated successfully in the local community. Plans now aim to extend it across Belfast, including North Belfast, Shankill, and Greater Falls.

Emma Byrne hosted the art therapy workshop. Attendees included kinship carers, families with children in kinship care, supporters, and those seeking information.

Lauren McCann from Upper Springfield Development Trust stated the gathering created a space for connection, information access, and creative activities to promote wellbeing. She noted it honoured kinship carers' dedication in keeping families together and highlighted community support in Upper Springfield and Whiterock.