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Foreword: Adam Ingram and Isobel Hutton
The challenges faced by kinship carers of Looked After children go to the heart of two of the most difficult and complex childcare issues which we must address in Scotland. The first is how families which are struggling can best be supported at the earliest possible stage to provide a loving, stable and permanent home for their children. The second is how we can ensure that Looked After children, many of whom will be profoundly damaged by the experiences which have led them to become Looked After, receive the care they need.
There is no one easy solution to these challenges. However, Scottish Government and COSLA believe that the starting-point must be the family of the child. We believe there is universal agreement that the child's family should be the first option when children need to live away from their birth parents for however short or long a period of time.
The commitment of family members, "kinship carers", to their children has gone unsung and has been undervalued for too long. Whilst it is right to focus on the needs of the child, last year's strategy-Getting it Right for Every Child in Kinship and Foster Care, made clear that a child's needs cannot be fully met if we do not assess the needs of their carers for support and ensure that this is provided.
Kinship carers also face additional legal and financial challenges which require specialist support. The legal status of a kinship carer is undeniably complex and there are no straightforward options for a kinship carer who wishes to clarify their status. Their benefit entitlements can also be unclear making it difficult to cope with the financial impact of a child entering the kinship carer's household.
Despite these complexities, we are in no doubt that kinship carers have a vital and probably increasingly central role to play in the range of options which must be in place for those children who need to live away from their birth parents. This is why Government in Scotland is determined to improve the support available to children who are Looked After and whose needs can best be met by their family and kinship carers.
We have made a start with our commitment to supporting kinship carers of Looked After children through a weekly allowance which will bring the income they receive as a result of a child entering their household to a level that is equivalent to the weekly allowance paid to a foster carer by the local authority. Many local authorities are working hard to implement this commitment and all are to have arrangements in place by 2011."
We are also clarifying aspects of the legal options available to kinship carers through the forthcoming revised Looked After Children regulations and the forthcoming implementation of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007.
However, we have a long way to go. The UK Welfare Benefits system does not work as well as we would like in Scotland for kinship carers of Looked After children and we are in discussions with UK Ministers on this matter. We also want to do more for kinship carers of children who are not Looked After but may equally be in need of support. The forthcoming launch of the Citizens Advice Scotland specialist kinship care advice service will help improve our understanding of the complex financial issues faced by kinship carers and, it is hoped, identify ways in which the benefits system could be improved.
Given the developments underway, this guidance is interim and we are grateful to the Adoption and Fostering sub-group of the Association of Directors of Social Work for its agreement to work with us to review, from next April, the implementation of this guidance and the wider developments underway which will impact on Looked After children and their kinship carers.
We are grateful to all members of the Reference Group which has developed this guidance and is overseeing the development of other aspects of our strategy for kinship and foster care. We know that their work will deliver significant improvements for all children in kinship and foster care and contribute to our vision of a successful Scotland.
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ADAM INGRAM MSP
Minister for Children and Early Years
| CLLR ISABEL HUTTON
COSLA Education
Children and Young People Spokesperson
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