We know there has been a lot of speculation about Crossroads Care Kent recently, so we wanted to take this opportunity to speak directly to carers and professionals about what's going on.
First, and most importantly: Crossroads is not closing. We are continuing to support families across Kent, not always in the same ways we have previously been able to, as we say goodbye to some of our services, and pause others. We know news like this can be unsettling, so we want to give you the full picture, so you have all the information you need.
Is Crossroads Care Kent closing?
Absolutely not. Our services may look different to what you've been used to over the years, but Crossroads Care Kent has supported family carers for over 43 years, and we intend to continue doing so.
What happened with the West Kent contract?
In West Kent, we partnered with Imago, who bid successfully as lead provider. We are delighted to be subcontracted by Imago to continue delivering short breaks and crisis care across West Kent, which now also includes Faversham and Swale This includes club breaks, delivered as part of Imago's model. In practice, this means the service West Kent Carers know and rely on continues. Professionals can still refer to Crossroads directly through the usual route for the crisis service.
The volume of short breaks has, however, changed, not because of Imago, but because of the specifications required under the new contract. In practice, Crossroads Care Kent will now deliver around 50% of the short breaks volume we delivered previously, and funding is set accordingly. This means 50% fewer free respite short breaks than under our previous contract. In line with KCC's specifications, Imago is offering a wide range of support services and different break options to meet the needs of West Kent Carers.
What happened with the East Kent contract?
Crossroads Care Kent also bid as lead provider for East Kent, but despite our best efforts, we were unsuccessful. Provision of the contract and its related services transfers in full to the successful bidder, Involve, on 1 September 2026.
The information that we have to date indicates that Involve will deliver a brokerage model, drawing on up to 32 domiciliary care providers to ensure they can offer breaks that meet carers' needs flexibly and promptly. Crossroads Care Kent will not be part of the delivery chain for Involve, and the service may look and feel different from the service currently provided by Crossroads Care Kent. Access to support will be via an assessment carried out by Involve's team.
What does this mean for Crossroads Care Kent's income?
We won't pretend this isn't a substantial change for the charity. Our direct KCC funding ended in West Kent on 31 July 2026 and ends in East Kent on 31 August 2026. At the same time, funding continues, on a smaller scale, through our West Kent services with Imago and several other contracts.
Alongside this, our partnership with Macmillan has also come to an end, after 13 wonderful years working together. We are enormously grateful for that partnership, we knew the funding was coming to an end, and we are proud of what we achieved together, and of the thousands of cancer patients and their carers we were able to support. A special thank you to all our amazing volunteers who so willingly gave their time to support this service.
Taken together, this represents a significant change in how Crossroads is funded. But we are confident in our ability to continue delivering these services and doing the work that matters, while remaining financially secure.
We've planned carefully for how the charity operates going forward. Crossroads has adapted before over more than four decades, and we're confident we can do so again.
As a carer, or a person with care needs, can I still access Crossroads Care Kent?
Yes. In West Kent, we will continue delivering statutory short breaks, club breaks and crisis support in partnership with Imago. Imago assesses suitability for breaks and then confirms the agreed support with Crossroads Care Kent, who deliver the service. The crisis service in West Kent remains unchanged, and professionals can continue to refer directly to Crossroads Care Kent via the usual route. Please note that West Kent now also includes Faversham and Swale.
Crossroads Care Kent also offers paid services, so that carers and their loved ones can access our services directly, including:
- Flexible paid care: available across all of Kent, including Medway, on an ad hoc or regular basis, with visits from a minimum of two hours. In East Kent, you can apply directly for these services from 14 September 2026, and Medway from 5 October 2026. Options include:
- Short respite visits
- Day time care
- Night-time care
- Support for those with care needs
- Support for carers who need additional help at home
- Dual care support (at an additional rate)
- 24-hour support packages
- Weekly support packages
- Hub Clubs: daytime support sessions providing meaningful activities, social interaction, and valuable respite for carers (West Kent only)
- Dementia Hub Clubs: specialist day care sessions for individuals living with dementia, in a safe, caring, friendly environment with a range of enjoyable activities (West Kent only)
All prices are available on the Crossroads Care Kent website. Please note we are not a domiciliary care agency, we are a charity, so there are no additional fees and no hidden costs. If you book two hours, you get a full two hours, with no mileage charges or travel time costed to you; this is covered by Crossroads Care Kent. We want to keep offering the same CQC-registered, excellent Crossroads Care Kent service you've come to rely on, at a fair price and in a package tailored to your needs.
As a reminder, our current CQC inspection rating is "Good."
How will Crossroads Care Kent be funded going forward?
We're funded to continue delivering statutory services in West Kent through our partnership with Imago, which gives us a stable base to build from.
Alongside this, we are developing paid services, including in-home care and support. This is offered at close to the cost of delivery, so that we can provide care affordably to as many people as possible. We are not for profit, so once costs are covered, every penny we receive goes directly towards care and support for those who need it most, as part of our charitable services.
We're continually expanding these services and always looking at how we can strengthen the charity further improving our fundraising and seeking grants, donations and new contracts to tender for. All of this is guided by our long-standing priority: supporting the Carers of Kent. We hope to rebuild parts of our portfolio over time, though this won't happen overnight.
What about Crossroads Care Kent's other projects?
Crossroads Care Kent Young Carers continues to operate in West Kent, ensuring young people with caring responsibilities receive guidance, activities, and emotional support.
We are also designing a new volunteer service, with more details to follow in October 2026. We are hoping to include companionship, face to face, online or by telephone, transport to healthcare appointments, and gardening support, available to all Kent Carers and the people they care for, who are registered with Crossroads Care Kent. We're excited to share more in the coming months.
We have had to pause our award-winning counselling service until we can secure further funding. We are currently Kent Mental Health Charity of the Year and have become the provider of choice for trainee counsellors, having provided over 100 trainee counsellor placements, supported over 700 Carers through counselling, and delivered over 8,500 free counselling sessions. The difference this has made to Carers' mental and physical health and wellbeing has been significant, whilst also supporting the next generation of counsellors to gain the work placement time required.
What does this mean for our staff?
We are deeply saddened that we have over 75 wonderful, skilled and caring staff members, bringing centuries of combined experience and knowledge, who will no longer work for Crossroads Care Kent. It is hard to put into words what a loss this is: not just for Crossroads Care Kent, but for the tens of thousands of families we have supported over the years and the thousands of professionals who have referred into our service. We have always strived to provide a quality, meaningful service, and have gone above and beyond to support carers and their families.
What does this mean for Crossroads Care Kent?
Crossroads Care Kent has stood by the side of carers for over four decades, and we are proud of the difference this has made to their lives and wellbeing. We are not going anywhere, but our services will change over the coming months, and we are working hard to make sure you can still access Crossroads Care Kent in your area, even if not always through the same service that we've had the pleasure of providing, until now.
This is a difficult and testing time for Crossroads Care Kent, and its impact is deeply felt by our carers, staff alike, particularly where a service has been paused or is no longer available. We will come through this, and we remain committed to providing compassionate, person-centred support.
What does this mean for our carers?
If you already receive a service from Crossroads Care Kent as part of the former KCC contract, you will have received separate communication about next steps. We still want to support you in any way we can. If have any other questions or concerns, or you are interested in accessing our paid services, please don't hesitate to contact us via the usual routes: 0345 095 6701 or enquiries@crossroadskent.org.
If you are already receiving a paid service, they will continue.
If you have any concerns or queries about the new contracts or services going forward, please email KCC directly at preventionframework@kent.gov.uk, the designated address for such queries. Please also feel free to speak to your Carer Support Worker or Care Manager, so we can support you and provide information wherever possible.
A heartfelt thank you from all of us at Crossroads Care Kent, for allowing us to be part of your carer or cancer journey over the years, and to all the Professionals who have helped Kent families access our services. We are overwhelmed by the support and positive feedback we've received. We look forward to continuing our work with carers across Kent.