Kinship carers

A kinship carer¹ is a relative or close family friend who looks after a child when they cannot live with their birth parents. Kinship carers may receive support for their role from the local authority and may have an agreement with the local authority for the support they provide. Some kinship carers can receive an allowance from the local authority.

¹ Kinship care - Looked after children - gov.scot

Kinship carers can be eligible for Carer Support Payment for any person they are a kinship carer for, even where they are receiving support or have an agreement with the local authority. Provisions in regulations mean kinship care agreements are not considered contracts for the purposes of Carer Support¹ .

¹  The Carers (Scotland) Act 2016 (Agreements of a Specified Kind) Regulations 2017

Example 2 – a kinship care arrangement

Connor is ‘looked after’ by his local authority. He lives with his grandmother Gillian under a kinship care arrangement, and Gillian receives a kinship care allowance from the local authority for this. Connor gets Child Disability Payment with the highest rate of care component, a qualifying disability benefit for Carer Support Payment, and requires regular and substantial care. Gillian is able to claim Carer Support for providing this care for Connor. The kinship care allowance that Gillian receives does not count as earnings.