How many kinship carers responded?
Number of kinship carers: 1,948
How many children were the kinship carers caring for:
There were 1,948 responses from kinship carers looking after 2,808 children. The numbers of children cared for varied by family with 70% of kinship carers caring for one child, 23% for two children and 6% for three children. Information about each child was analysed separately.
Where were the kinship carers from?
What order were the children subject to?
Most of the respondents were special guardians with 74% caring for their child via a Special Guardianship Order (SGO). Therefore, overall findings are skewed towards children subject to Special Guardianship Orders SGOs. To address this issue, findings will be broken down by the legal status of the child where necessary.
Have kinship carers worried about money in the past year?
Over the past year, 82% of kinship carers worried about money, regardless of what order the children is subject to, or whether they receive an allowance for them. This finding may have been influenced by the financial impact of Covid-19. However, even before the pandemic, research and surveys consistently found that kinship carers struggled financially due to taking on the role, many were pushed into poverty and this affected the kinship carers’ ability to care for the children.
A previous study completed in 2009 by Grandparents Plus found 86% of kinship carers were struggling financially. It is unacceptable that there is so little improvement over a decade later.
Did kinship carers receive an allowance for the children?
Overall
Breakdown by legal order
Although the carers of 63% of the children in this study were receiving a regular allowance from their local authority, there were significant differences depending the legal status of the child. 75% of children subject to an SGO received an allowance. However, this figure fell to 32% if the child was subject to a CAO/RO, and 13% if the child was not subject to a legal order.
Local authorities’ duties to children subject to SGOs are written into regulations and guidance in a way that they are not for children subject to CAO/RO and for children in informal arrangements. This finding indicates that when the provision of financial support is promoted through legalisation it increases the likelihood children will receive this support. Read more about what financial support are kinship carers entitled to here.
What was the average weekly allowance per child?
The survey asked kinship carers who received an allowance for their kinship children to state the amount they received. This was converted to a weekly amount and findings were grouped by the legal status of each child. Findings are not available for those carers who were unsure of the legal status of their child.
NB: The measure used to give the central tendency for the amounts of financial allowance received was the mode.
Weekly average financial allowance
The amount of financial allowance received by the kinship carer is greater when the child is subject to a legal order and much lower if the child is being cared for informally. Even where carers do receive an allowance, the average amounts received are significantly lower than the lowest rate a foster carer receives, which is £132. The is profoundly unfair as both kinship carers and foster carers are caring for children with similar backgrounds who are unable to live with their parents.
NB: It is important to note, the figure used here is the lowest weekly amount foster carers would receive (based on age of child and location), many will get significantly more, they will also receive other financial support that kinship carers would not be entitled to, such as help with school trips, birthdays, and holidays. In 2019 The Fostering Network found that all local authorities in Wales were paying foster carers above the national minimum level.
Of those who received an allowance, was it means-tested?
Overall
Breakdown by legal order
Financial allowances for 76% of the children with SGOs were means-tested. There was an even split for children subject to CAO/ROs, however, there were far fewer children receiving financial allowances on these orders. It is concerning that the carers for 14% of the children were unaware if their allowance was means-tested. This indicates they were unsure of the guidance around the financial support they are receiving, which would make planning for the children’s futures uncertain. Evidence from our advice service identifies a lack of consistency around what income different local authorities consider for the means test, this increases the postcode lottery of financial support for kinship carers.
Of those who received an allowance, was it reviewed?
Overall
Breakdown by legal order
Kinship carers looking after 69% of the children faced regular reviews of the financial allowances they were receiving. This uncertainty makes financial planning difficult, with many kinship carers worrying each time the review was due about whether there would be a reduction in financial allowances for their kinship children. This adds to the multiple stresses that kinship carers face in their role and makes it difficult to plan and budget for the children’s futures.
For those whose allowances were reviewed, how did it change at the last review?
Overall
Breakdown by legal order
The way allowances changed when they were reviewed were broadly similar regardless of the legal statuses of the child. When the allowances were reviewed only 13% of them increased. 44% stayed the same, which is a real-time decrease due to inflation. 26% decreased, which is concerning as the cost of raising the child would not have decreased. Given that kinship carers receive, on average, a significantly lower allowance than foster carers to cover the costs of raising someone else’s child, it is worrying that the allowances either reduced or remained that same.
Was the allowance enough to meet the needs of the child (asked of all respondents)?
Overall
Breakdown by legal order
Overall, 76% of carers felt they did not receive the financial support they needed to meet the needs of the children. Considering that 62% received an allowance for the children, this demonstrates that even when carers do receive financial support, it is not sufficient to meet the needs of the children they care for.
These findings also demonstrate that the legal status of the child has a significant impact on financial support. When carers cared for their child informally 92% felt they did not receive enough financial support for their child. This is extremely concerning because it is believed most children in kinship care are being cared for informally, and the link with household deprivation is well evidenced.
If you are affected by the issues raised in this report, please access our support service here, or find out more via our online information and advice.
