Dumfries & Galloway Council bill for kinship care cost concern

A COUNCIL bill for kinship carers is set to more than treble. That was the warning yesterday from social work bosses if a benefits scheme is opened up to everyone who could be eligible.

Kinship carers, who look after the children of relatives, are currently divided into two brackets – those who are officially deemed as having “looked after children” and those who are not.

Both groups are seen to have similar needs but, according to council officials, those who are not “looked after children” aren’t yet fully accounted under a £45-per-week payment scheme which was brought in last October.

Sean McGleenan, operations manager for children, families and social work, told councillors yesterday that if all children with comparable needs are added to the payment scheme, a projected budget shortfall over three years would rise from £340,000 to £1.225million.

He said that “experience of implementing the scheme since October 2008 suggests that the scale of need amongst children with comparable needs may be more than double that additional shortfall, if all referrals presenting for assessment were converted into approved allowances”.

But the move to pay every eligible kinship carer will put considerable pressure on the council budget, the committee heard.

The current £45 per week payment is already way below the intended aim of the scheme which was to put kinship carers on a level footing with payments which are given to foster carers.

Mr McGleenan said: “Without sufficient resources committed to the implementation of kinship care, the Scottish Government’s policy objective of placing kinship care on an equal footing with foster care so far as rates of allowance are concerned cannot be achieved.

“Any additional resources committed to kinship care will place further pressure on council finances”.