Recent research from CHILDREN 1ST has found that the financial support kinship carers receive in Scotland can vary, depending on where they live.
According to the study, 18 out of 32 local authorities make a £20.30 deduction from the kinship care allowance for child benefit, meaning these carers are substantially worse off than carers in authorities that don't make this deduction.
CHILDREN 1ST have worked with kinship carers to develop a manifesto, calling for an end to this practice.
Alison Todd, Children and Family Services Director at CHILDREN 1ST, commented: “Kinship carers often tell us that they feel they, and the children they care for, are treated less fairly than other families. Deducting child benefit from their allowance, when it is not done by the UK or Scottish Government, or by local authorities, for any other payments made to families with children shows clearly that they are being treated differently.
“We hope that all local authorities will heed this call. We do acknowledge it can take time to change policy – in the meantime, we would urge councils to stop the practice of deducting the benefit from the date of award but only when families actually are receiving child benefit. Kinship carers have told us that this can often take many weeks – months even. This practice is like a double whammy and causes real financial hardship for some families.”
