The event was organised by Grandparents Plus as part of the Kinship Care Alliance's campaign to raise awareness of the needs of the carers and the children they look after.
According to the charity, 16 per cent of local authority foster placements are with family and friends carers.
The Alliance called for ten steps towards a better deal for carers and their children (see box), including making a financial allowance for carers and urging the Government to collect official data on the numbers of children in this situation.
If successful, amendments will be tabled to the Child Poverty Bill.
The Kinship Care Alliance was set up in 2006 to develop a joint policy agenda designed to prevent children from being unnecessarily raised outside their family and to enhance outcomes for children who cannot live with their parents and are living with relatives.
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