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Support for carers

4 Dec 2007 04:30 PM

A major overhaul of the system to support children looked after by foster and kinship carers was announced today.

Better financial support for carers will be on offer, with approved kinship carers now able to qualify for a weekly allowance to help them provide support and security to young people placed with them.

The new strategy - Getting it Right for Every Child in Kinship and Foster Care - is underpinned by the core principles of a child-centred approach to fostering, putting the needs of the child at its heart.

The strategy, the first to be produced as a joint commitment by the Scottish Government and COSLA, outlines support for:

  • A minimum national allowance of between £119 and £198 per week to be paid to all carers
  • Approved kinship carers of looked after children to be paid allowances on a par with foster carers
  • Improved assessment and approval processes as well as better training and support for foster and kinship carers
  • A specialist information service for all kinship carers giving advice on benefits and maximising financial support
  • A national protocol for dealing with complaints and allegations against foster and kinship carers

Launching the strategy today, Minister for Children and Early Years Adam Ingram said:

"In an ideal world every child would live in a safe and secure environment. Removing any child from the care of their parents is an enormous step with huge responsibilities and that's why the measures announced today are so important.

"This strategy is a significant way forward for bolstering the support given to carers and the children they look after.

"The delivery of this strategy relies on a fundamental relationship between this government and our colleagues in local government and I want it to be a model of good partnership to help improve the lives of those in our most vulnerable families.

"All children deserve a secure and stable home to grow up in and I know how great the responsibility is that carers take on.

"We want to do everything we can to support families to stay together and I believe the new measures announced today will amount to a real and lasting difference to that support."

Almost 4000 foster carers are estimated to be in Scotland and 2000 looked after children live with kinship carers.

The Scottish Government and COSLA are working to deliver allowances based on The Fostering Network's recommended rate of between £119 and £198 per week for all foster carers and approved kinship carers of looked after young people.

The National Fostering and Kinship Care Strategy forms part of a continuum of Scottish Government policies to support vulnerable families including Getting it Right for Every Child, We Can and Must do Better and the forthcoming Early Years Strategy.

The five key principles underpinning the child-centered approach are:

  • that the needs of the child must be paramount
  • that families should be supported to stay together
  • that where the child needs to be away from the birth parents, care within the family circle should be the first option unless it is not in the best interests of the child
  • that all placements should be designed to achieve stability
  • that all placements should be provided with appropriate support

A consultation on amending regulations, including barriers to same sex couples fostering, will run until March 2008.