Out of Order: Inequalities are forcing children to stay in care
Experts from Kinship have found financial strains are stopping children from being able to find permanent placements outside of the care system.
The number of friends and family members stepping up to become foster carers is slowly increasing. However, Out of Order – the new report from The Kinship care charity – shows financial barriers are stopping them from becoming permanent guardians. Experts found four in ten children in kinship foster care are not expected to move to other kingship arrangements outside the care system.
Reasons for this include special guardians, on average, receive £40 less per child per week compared to kinship foster carers. What’s more, kinship carers with a child arrangements order receive around £54 less per week per child.
‘This perverse incentive for children in kinship care to remain looked after in local authority care when they don’t need to be, must end,’ Sam Turner, Kinship’s head of policy and public affairs and lead author of the report, said. ‘The government has a huge opportunity to equalise the support offered to kinship carers giving them the financial security and parental responsibility they want and need so that children can leave the care system and live with loving well-supported families.’
Sam added: ‘The forthcoming Autumn Budget and Spending Review offer two key moments where this new government can deliver what’s needed to ensure decisions can be made in the best interests of the child.’
Recommendations for the government ahead of next month include:
- Delivering a non-means tested financial allowance to kinship carers at least equal to the national minimum fostering allowance.
- Government should accelerate the financial allowances pathfinder in England and ensure it doesn’t paralyse progress towards a wider rollout of allowances.
- Councils should copy leading practice in the provision of non-means tested financial allowances for kinship carers and avoid risk of legal challenge.
- Kinship carers should be given free advice and information including legal advice to help them make informed decisions.
News of the report, which can be found in full here, has come after the government declared young care leavers will have a safe place to stay once they leave their care home. This decision was unveiled last week by Sir Keir Starmer at Labour’s annual conference.
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