Our history

Kindred is a vibrant organisation which was founded by parents of children with disabilities in 1991. We have been run by parents ever since. We started as an information point at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh. Many people remember that we were originally called the Special Needs Information Point (SNIP). From 1991 – 2007 we were based at an office in Rillbank Terrace behind the hospital. We are delighted that some of the original trustees and staff of SNIP are still closely involved in running Kindred.

In 2007 we were successful in securing a Big Lottery Fund grant of almost £1,000,000 over five years. The Lottery grant led to expanding the team to 14 members, including a team in Fife. As our profile was increasing, we rebranded to Kindred in 2010 and opened a head office in Rutland Court Lane in Edinburgh. (Our head office has since moved to premises nearby at 1 St Colme Street). Kindred currently supports 800 – 900 families a year. Most of the families that we support are from Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife although we support some families from across Scotland.

Our work at a national level has helped to develop the expertise of our service.

From 2014 – 2017 we ran a project in Glasgow and this has developed into a national project for children with very high level medical needs, The Exceptional Families Project (EFP). EFP is run in partnership with the National Clinical Network for Children with Exceptional Healthcare Needs. From 2015 - 2018 Kindred worked in partnership with Govan Law Centre to deliver the National Advocacy Service for ASN Tribunals. In 2017 we worked with the CAMHS Learning Disability Network to evidence the need for specialist services for children with autism.

2021 was an exciting year for us when we moved to the heart of the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People where we have been provided with a four person office in the Family Support Corridor. We also celebrated our 30th anniversary of Kindred providing vital support to families.

In 2022 we moved our head and registered office to 1 St Colme Street in Edinburgh.

Latest

Gill Penfold

Information and Advocacy Worker
Kiltwalked 2022!

We'd like to thank all the people, and the wee dog, that did the Edinburgh Kiltwalk on 18th September to raise funds for Kindred.
We've moved!

Kindred's head and registered office has moved!
Press Release: People's Postcode Trust Award for Kindred

Players of People’s Postcode Lottery enable Kindred Advocacy to support parents of children with complex needs in Scotland! We are delighted to announce that the People’s Postcode Trust, a grant-giving charity funded entirely by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, have awarded Kindred £23,708 to support the running of the charity over the next year.

Social Work Assessment (Section 23)

If your child has a disability or long-term health condition then you are likely to require additional help with family life. The Social Work department of your local authority has a duty to assess the needs of your child. This is called a Section 23 Assessment.
Accessing grants

Details of different funds and grant-giving trusts/charities that you can approach if needed, and some handy hints on applying.
Our vision and aims

Kindred's vision is to transform the lives of families of children with complex needs in Scotland.
Contact us

You can contact Kindred by phone, email and by post.
Benefits

There are many different sources of financial support available to children with disabilities. Kindred may be able to support parents to apply for some of these benefits.
Education

Children with additional needs may need extra support in school, or you may feel that your child needs to attend a different school provision such as a language unit, another mainstream school or a special school. Depending on where you live, Kindred may be able to assist you with finding the right provision for your child.
Fife Team

Kindred's Fife Team is based in Dunfermline, providing a service throughout Fife to parents of children with complex needs including advocacy, information and emotional support.
Child’s Planning Meeting (and YPPM)

CPM stands for Child’s Planning Meeting and YPPM stands for Young Person’s Planning Meeting.
Refer to us

For a referral please contact us by phone or email.
Our history

Kindred began supporting families in 1991 from the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh. We were known then as SNIP or Special Needs Information Point. We started with a founding team of two parents who each had a child with additional needs, keen to share their knowledge. Now we have a team of 12 staff over three bases in Scotland, and we are still a parent-led organisation.