If a kinship carer is in receipt of any child-related benefits, then the local authority may deduct these from the amount of allowance that it pays to the kinship carer. out more about cookies, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Kinship Care Advice and Information Service, National Kinship Care Website for Scotland, looked after children who have been placed with kinship carers by the local authority, non-looked after children who live in an informal kinship care arrangement (these children may be subject to an order under Section 11 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 or may be living in a completely private arrangement with extended family, with no local authority involvement), all formal kinship carers where the child has looked after status. Kinship Care 25 January 2012 12/05 Camilla Kidner This briefing gives an introduction to kinship care policy in Scotland, regulations for assessment and the provision of allowances. You can call the confidential Kinship Care Helpline on: 0808 800 0006. It applies to: Kinship carers covered by this agreement should receive an allowance at a minimum of the same rate as foster carers in their local authority area. Before the local authority can place a child with an extended family member or a family friend, they have to assess if this placement meets the needs of that child. 4. Those kinship carers who live outwith Angus should apply to their own local authority for an assessment of kinship care assistance under the 2014 Act. You can call the confidential Kinship Care Helpline, Monday to Friday, 9 am - 5 pm on 0808 800 0006. In taking this forward, local authorities should ensure that their procedures explicitly address the needs of kinship care and have appropriate processes in place. some informal kinship carers, where the child is not a looked after child but is subject to a Section 11 Order (to be known as a Kinship Care Order), and is or was: placed with involvement from the local authority. It’s a care arrangement that means a child can live with a family member or sometimes a very close friend. It is aimed at everyone with an interest in supporting children in kinship care and will be of particular relevance to statutory social workers, legal officers, welfare rights officers, and kinship advocacy groups. 2.1.24 Where a person is notified that the full criteria for kinship care assistance cannot be met until they have secured a kinship care order (via court ) a letter will be sent to the Any data collected is anonymised. Kinship care is an alternative to foster or residential care. 9. 6. Fife Council offers support, information and advice to kinship carers, so they are better equipped to meet the needs of the children and young people in their care. 8. 5. If so, Scotland's Kinship Care Service can help you find out about your financial entitlements, your legal rights and responsibilities and where to get the practical and emotional support you might need to help you cope. AFA Scotland’s multi-disciplinary team has a wealth of experience and up-to-date expertise in adoption and fostering practice. Find By continuing to use this site, you agree to our use of cookies. The project can: 1. provide training for local authorities and voluntary organisations on a wide range of kinship care issues 2. assist local authorities and others to identify, develop and share effective kinship care services 3. assist and support the development of new kinship care initiatives, e.g. This is a guide to the assessment of family members, friends and other members of the family’s social network as kinship foster carers; however there is necessarily reference to special guardianship as the two assessments are often undertaken concurrently when the child is either in the pre proceedings process or the subject of care proceedings. a kinship care assessment where such an arrangement is likely to be short-term. further as guidance now suggests that kinship care is considered as the first option for a placement for a looked after child. It … The timescale for the work should also be discussed. Notification of decision. West Dunbartonshire provides a kinship care allowance for all formal kinship carers, including those who are caring for children on a permanent legal basis; assessment of the kinship carer must first however consider whether the carer can meet the needs of the child / young person, and whether any practical and / or emotional support may Under the Looked After Children (Scotland) Regulations 2009, a kinship carer is defined as "a person who is related to the child (through blood, marriage or civil partnership) or a person with whom the child has a pre-existing relationship". Find See our emergency contacts page. There are two main ways in which a child can become ‘looked after’ by the local authority – either with their parent’s agreement or because they are subject to a care order made by the court. Calls are free from landlines and most mobiles. We deliver a wide range of training, consultancy and workshops to assist professionals develop the knowledge and skills they require when working in this specialist area. This website is currently being reviewed and updated as part of change of delivery (Sept 2020). Notification of decision. That said, most kinship care arrangements do not involve the local authority. The Kinship Care Advice Service for Scotland information service also provides support and assistance to local authorities. We will notify you when we publish any new articles to our News page. Extension of the definition of eligible child. For this reason, kinship care is the natural family support arrangement for most children when their birth parent(s) is/are not in a position to care for them; Some kinship carers requiring additional … The aim of the additional funding is to ensure local parity (i.e. When parents are unable to look after their children, relatives or family friends will sometimes step in and offer to help. Context At the time of publication (September 2008), we are in a transitional period for much of kinship care For information on your financial and benefit information…, There are a number of support groups around Scotland where you can chat to other people in a similar position to yourself…. Kinship care is an arrangement for a relative or close friend of a child to provide care when a child's parents cannot look after him/her. Application for types of kinship care assistance. Local councils in Scotland must pay a kinship care allowance to kinship carers of children who are Not Looked After if you have a residence order (also called a kinship care order) for the child living with you and the child: used to be a Looked After child, or; is … Follow our diagram to find out which type of Kinship Carer you are? The local authority has to take seriously its responsibilities for the safety of any Looked After child and this may mean children being moved from the care of kinship carers. We are happy to discuss all aspects of being a kinship carer including the role and identity … 7. Kinship carers where the child is subject to a kinship care order under section 11 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 or the carer is the child’s guardian under section 7 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, and. Permanent Placement of a Child with Carers, Offering Permanent Care to a Child who is Placed in Foster Care, Seeking Parental Rights and Responsibilities, Financial Assistance for a Kinship Care Order, Benefit Entitlements for a “Non Looked After” Child, Benefit Entitlements for a Child in an Informal Relationship, Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 & Parts, Zara, aged 5½ years and Ryan, aged 4½ years, Kinship Care week Press release, update you on kinship policy changes and how they impact on you, provide a full copy of the new kinship care guide detailing your rights, roles and responsibilities, keep you up to date on financial developments, provide you with list of support groups in your area, provide you with a list of national and local support organisations that can help you, inform you of any events you may be interested in attending. Those kinship carers who live outwith Angus should apply to their own local authority for an assessment of kinship care assistance under the 2014 Act. There are different means by which a child may be living with a kinship carer, depending on the relationship between them and their carer, the level of involvement with the local authority, and, where applicable, the nature of the court order granted. We recognise the important role played by kinship carers in providing secure, stable and nurturing homes for children who cannot be cared for by their birth parents. (in writing) by the service manager HQ that a kinship care assessment will now commence. At the heart of Adoption and Fostering in Scotland . This agreement does not apply to all kinship carers. For those residing outwith Scotland, Angus Council may, under certain circumstances, continue to pay an allowance to kinship carers. A Social Worker will be allocated to carry out an assessment. The child’s plan in kinship care is based on ‘My World’ assessment triangle and is integral to the child’s care plan. Manner of providing kinship care assistance. Advisers at every Scottish CAB can provide detailed advice on kinship care and can access additional specialist advice for complex cases. work in prisons and drug projects 4. provide advice and assistance on complex cases. of kinship care. We also use non-essential cookies to help us improve our websites. This Inform Kinship briefing provides a comprehensive overview of the latest research, policy, legal and practice issues for kinship care across Scotland. Some kinship carers will be eligible for child-related benefits, which are intended to cover accommodation and maintenance. We accept that it is taking some local authorities a while to determine how much each kinship carer should now receive, but where there is a delay we expect payments to be backdated to 1 October 2015. 2.5 Kinship care assessment • Reducing the risk of environmental tobacco smoke for looked after children and their carers 2.6 Transferring an accommodated child to a kinship care placement ... • Kinship Care Assistance (Scotland) Act 2016 (hereafter referred to as 2016 6. Gov.scot uses cookies which are essential for the site to work. children, and is the preferred model of care for children in Scotland. When your kid runs up and throws their arms around you it’s all worth it. 39. 8. In this situation, any additional payment to bring the allowance rate up to that of a foster carer is to be considered a wellbeing payment – the kinship carer is already receiving payment from the state for accommodation and maintenance and the additional money is to ensure that the kinship child is able to benefit from opportunities that many children have but that they would otherwise be unable to access. Equal footing Traditionally, kinship care has been viewed as a cheaper option secondary to fostering and adoption in terms of allowances, support and a lack of standardised practice across the country in how carers are assessed via an assessment framework, rigour and approval process. The Scottish Government is committed to increase their support for Kinship carers and their families, through information and advice, along with development of supportive community-based peer services. This is likely to further increase kinship care placements in Scotland. Scotland’s Kinship Care Advice Service . kinship carers and the children they care for. Funding started on 1 October 2015. It sets out the different requirements for local authority assistance and briefly looks at the effect this has on social security benefits. The Looked after Children (Scotland) Regulations 2009 now underpin this by the inclusion of this part of the regulations specifically focused on kinship care. Kinship care is when a child is looked after by their extended family or close friends if they cannot remain with their birth parents. This is likely to further increase kinship care placements in Scotland. The legal basis for kinship care Some kinship care arrangements are formalised by the courts or the children’s hearing system, others are not. Many agencies have designed their own formats for the assessment and preparation of kinship carers based on the work of the framework provided as an annex to the guidance on Looked After Children (Scotland) Regulations 2009 and the Adoption and In the interim period, pending Kinship assessment being completed and approved, and whilst a child is placed with another family member or friend, financial support can be made from the Carers in Community Budget and the Child’s Social Worker will complete … 9. Under article 4(a) and (b) of the 2016 Order, where a person is considering applying for, or is applying for, a kinship care order in relation to an eligible child (below the age of 16), the type of assistance which is categorised as kinship care assistance is the provision of such information and advice as that person may reasonably require for the purpose of making a decision about that matter. In the interests of transparency, each local authority should publish a revised Kinship and Fostering Allowances Policy which should include key details of entitlement, eligibility criteria, how it will be assessed, where more information can be found, where complaints can be made and any other relevant information. CAS’s work with l… If so, Scotland's Kinship Care Service can help you find out about your financial entitlements, your legal rights and responsibilities and where to get the practical and emotional support you might need to help you cope. We are setting up a National Allowance Review Group to review the allowances for foster and kinship care in light of recent changes including the roll-out of Universal Credit. Click here for further info. The 2014 Act sets out the parameters of kinship care assistance with the 2016 Order supplementing those provisions. The Scottish Government is committed to increase their support for Kinship carers and their families, through information and advice, along with development of supportive community-based peer services. Kinship foster care This is different to other forms of kinship care as the child is then considered ‘looked after’, and you won’t have parental responsibility. In the UK it can come about from a formal arrangement (i.e. A kinship carer is someone who looks after a child or children who are not their own but either related to them or has a close relationship with them. Factors to be taken into account in determining whether a child is at risk of becoming looked after. The Scottish Kinship Care Alliance has submitted its first consultation response – to the Scottish Human Rights Commission’s consultation on the top Human Rights priorities for Scotland which they should include in a National Action Plan on Human Rights.. Our response focuses on the Human Rights issues affecting children in Kinship Care in Scotland. You can call the confidential Kinship Care Helpline on: 0808 800 0006. out more about cookies, Coronavirus (COVID-19): what you need to know. in Kinship and Foster Care’ (GIRFEC) principles. Kinship care is when a child is looked after by their extended family or close friends, if they cannot remain with their birth parents. This is essential in the medium to long term as it relates to the child’s developing sense of identity. Calls are free from landlines and most mobiles. If you can’t get to your local CAB, get on the phone. Eligibility for kinship care assistance. The basis for kinship care arrangements varies depending on the family’s particular situation. If you have any queries please contact us on 0808 800 0006. There’s a lot of fantastic events lined up to celebrate Kinship Care week 2021, whether you love science, or you’re want more information, or just want to join us for a coffee and chat on Zoom… find out everything that’s happening…. If you have any queries please contact us on 0808 800 0006. Factors to be taken into account in determining whether a child is at risk of becoming looked after. Kinship care is when a child is looked after by their extended family or close friends, if they cannot remain with their birth parents. 5. A local authority must provide kinship care assistance in such a way as to safeguard, support and promote the wellbeing of an eligible child as stated in article 3 of the 2016 Order. A kinship carer is the relative or friend who takes over the care of the child.. All carers who provide care for the children of their family or friends are called kinship carers. 7. This is a guide to the assessment of family members, friends and other members of the family’s social network as kinship foster carers; however there is necessarily reference to special guardianship as the two assessments are often undertaken concurrently when the child is either in the pre proceedings process or the subject of care proceedings. Attention Kinship Carers here is the latest information below on vaccine priority issued by the Scottish... View our latest newsletter here included are details of the events we are running during Kinship... Keep up-to-date and informed on the latest kinship care news from kinship.scot. 132Assessment in Kinship Care Workers need to explore the capacity of the carers to support relationships between the child and their parents, siblings or significant others. This is a list of national and local support organisations that you can contact for further support for you or your family. … The KCASS is a service funded by the Scottish Government, with the purpose of delivering the best possible support to kinship carers across Scotland, who play such a critical role in providing secure, stable and nurturing homes for children who cannot be cared for … Extension of the definition of eligible child. View local services Kinship care is rewarding but can bring a host of challenges to both the carer and the child. Kinship carers in England are also known as family and friends carers and/or connected persons carers. We fund the following organisations and services to provide kinship care support, advice and information: In September 2015 we announced that we would give local authorities an additional £10.1 million of funding per year with which to pay kinship care allowances. within their local authority area) of allowances between kinship and foster carers (however, foster care fees are not included in this agreement and are separate from it). Under the Looked After Children (Scotland) Regulations 2009, a kinship carer is defined as "a person who is related to the child (through blood, marriage or civil partnership) or a person with whom the child has a pre-existing relationship". This assessment will usually be completed by a social worker, who will: 1. undertake Disclosure Scotland checks for every adult in the caring household 2. complete checks of social work database systems and the health records of all potential carers, and 3. visit the home to interview the proposed carer and make sure the home is suitable for the child's needs. 4. Looking for local help? Application for types of kinship care assistance. Kinship care support Scotland Helping support children and young people Often, when parents are struggling or unable to look after their children, relatives or family friends will step in and offer to help. Support for Kinship care children and carers. Under the Looked After Children (Scotland) Regulations 2009, kinship carers are defined as “a person who is related to the child (through blood, marriage or civil partnership) or a person with whom the child has a pre-existing relationship”. Not looked after Looked after An informal arrangement has been made by the family The child is subject to a compulsory supervision order or interim compulsory supervision order under the hildren’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011, which requires her/him to live with the kinship carer A residence order under … (Scotland) Act 1995 facilitated and supported by Social Work as an outcome of an assessment. A study of the 2001 census found over 15,000 children in Scotland being cared for by relatives. through social work intervention including within court proceedings ) or an informal arrangement made by the family. We are aware there is some out of date information remaining, please bear with us as we update the site. assessment, cannot be recommended as carers for the child. It uses Census information and Scottish Government statistics to estimate the numbers of ‘looked after’ and ‘non-looked after’ children in kinship care. Being a kinship carer can be tough, but I wouldn’t change a thing. Kinship care assistance. Kinship care assistance. The Social Worker will explain to the carers the content of the work they will do together and be transparent about the areas they will discuss. Manner of providing kinship care assistance. Your feedback will help us improve this site. ASSESSMENT AND SUPPORT FOR KINSHIP CARERS OF LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN 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… Kinship care is when a child is looked after by their extended family or close friends if they cannot remain with their birth parents. This table explains the main routes into kinship care, and whether the child is a looked after child or not. the child was previously looked after by the local …