« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
Annex A
Kinship Care and the GIRFEC Framework
"Kinship care is unique. It is not foster care. At the same time it is more than family support. Children Looked After by local authorities need the same safeguards as any other Looked After child but their carers will need a model of support which recognises the child, parents and kinship carers as part of a family system with its own strengths, networks and needs. There is a strong case for redefining kinship care as a separate category of Looked After children"
Jane Aldgate in Section 10 of the "Looking after the family" Report 2006
The overall strategy for children living with kinship carers is set within the GIRFEC framework. The principles of "Getting it right for every child" require that all agencies make their contribution, as required, to enabling the child to achieve positive outcomes. Children should get help when they need it. Help should be offered in a way that is child and family-friendly. Services work together to ensure, wherever possible, children should be able to stay in their families where this supports their well-being and ensures their safety. Access to universal services will still be at the heart of a successful childhood.
In 2007-08, Local Authorities reported there were 2,094 children who were "Looked After" by Local authorities and living with kinship carers. There are also an estimated 10,000 kinship carers
(Jane Aldgate's Extraordinary Lives) in the community who receive little or no extra financial assistance if they need it, from either central or local government, with the costs of care.
The Task Group has aimed to develop a safe, fair and proportionate process for supporting kinship carers who care for "Looked After" children.
We have used as our starting point the GIRFEC practice model for the assessment of a child's needs. It is the most effective way to make an assessment of the viability and appropriateness of the kinship care situation. We saw that using the "My World" triangle of need provides a comprehensive view of the child's needs and the areas where additional supports and services might be needed.
We based our work on a number of key principles that are part of the overall GIRFEC philosophy. These are:
- Every child has the right to have their family and friends explored as carers if they need to leave the care of their parents. Unless there are clear reasons why placement within the wider family or with a friend would not be in the child's best interest, care within the wider family or community circle will be the first option for the child.
- Intervention by a local authority should not be required if the arrangements for the care of the child are agreed by all parties and there are no concerns about the safety of the child.
- A Family Plan for a child must address the safety of the child and satisfy agencies that any child protection issues will be dealt with and the needs of the child will be put first.
- Many of the children being considered for placement in kinship care will have experienced difficult and potentially neglectful early years care within drug or alcohol misusing families. Because of this, their care needs may be intense and some family placements may not be sustainable. Local authorities have to address the issues when care is not good enough.
- Where a child may need to become formally Looked After, an assessment of the family or friend as a carer must be carried out. The assessment must be tailored to the individual situation, be thorough and fair and must address the needs of the child and the way in which the carer can be supported to meet those needs.
- Articles 8 and 14 of the European Human Rights legislation are relevant. Article 8 is about the right to private and family life and the need to take positive steps to secure respect for it. Article 14 is about freedom from discrimination. In Article 14, differential treatment on the basis of the relationship as family or friend would be seen as discriminatory.
- The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child also identifies the right to support to a family to bring up their child.
« Previous | Contents | Next »