Kinship care

Who are kinship carers?

A kinship carer is a family member, (either directly related or through marriage or civil partnership) or a friend who knows the child and who cares for a child or young person on a day to day basis.

Perth and Kinross Council adheres to the principles laid out in the Children & Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 in relation to support to kinship carers. This support is detailed below:

Approved kinship carers

Carers who are looking after Looked After children and young people. You will require to be assessed but will be supported through this by the Family Based Care Team. You will also be paid allowances equivalent to that paid to a foster carer and detailed below. You will not be entitled to apply for child related welfare benefits.

Allowances:

• Age 0 - 4 - £134.47
• Age 5 - 10 - £153.16
• Age 11 - 15 - £190.68
• Age 16 - 18 - £231.91

Previously approved kinship carers

If you are a carer and were previously assessed as an approved kinship carer by Perth & Kinross Council, you are a previously approved kinship carer. We would continue to support you at your request and will continue to pay you an allowance as above but as the child in your care is no longer Looked After this will be minus your entitlement to child related benefits.

Informal kinship carers

If you are looking after a relative via a private arrangement with your family then you may be classed as an informal kinship carer. We would like to continue to offer you practical and emotional support. This may be from our Family Based Care Team or from our partners the Kith and Kin Project.

Kinship care assistance

If you are an informal carer or a carer who does not receive support from another Local Authority, you can apply to Perth and Kinross Council for support if you live in our area. We can offer kinship care assistance if the child or young person was previously Looked After or is at risk of becoming Looked After now; and you have secured or are thinking about securing a kinship care order. In order to determine this, an assessment will be undertaken by the Family Based Care Team.

The assistance we would provide may be practical, emotional and in some cases financial. Any financial support would be in terms of support to gain a kinship care order or a regular allowance. The allowance would be as the rate above minus your assessed entitlement to child related benefits.

If you need to discuss your situation further or are requesting an assessment please contact the Family Based Care Team on 01738 477806. Please don't hesitate to contact us we are here to help.