Extra weekly payments pledge for ‘crucial’ kinship carers

Some carers in Caerphilly County Borough will be given an increased weekly allowance in recognition of the “crucial” role they play in supporting vulnerable children.

The council will introduce new £120 weekly allowances for approved kinship and connected person carers – who are usually relatives or close family friends of looked-after children.

Backers of the new policy said the payments will address inequalities in the support available for those carers when compared with their mainstream equivalents.

“Kinship and connected person carers play a crucial role in providing safe, stable nurturing homes for some of our most vulnerable children – often at short notice and in periods of significant family crisis,” said Cllr Elaine Forehead, the cabinet member for social care.

“These carers frequently take on responsibilities comparable to those of mainstream foster carers, supporting children who have experienced trauma and complex needs, whilst helping to maintain family connections and improving long-term outcomes.”

Speaking at a cabinet meeting, on Wednesday April 15, Cllr Forehead said the new payments will “introduce enhanced and more consistent financial support arrangements, recognise the vital contributions of these carers, strengthen placement stability for children and support the council’s corporate parenting responsibilities”.

Under the new policy, carers will receive the National Minimum Allowance from the point a child is placed with them under temporary approval.

Then, once they are approved by the Foster Panel, carers will also receive the new allowance of £120 per week per child, in recognition of their caring responsibilities.

Gareth Jenkins, the council’s director of children’s services, said the extra payments were “a recognition of the value of the role of the carer”.

“We know from our experience that placements within extended family… are much more positive in terms of outcomes, because children know who they are, where they are, they maintain their sense of identity and very often they maintain positive links with their parents,” he told the meeting.

“They will be maintained in their schools, if they’re of school age,” he said. “In the longer term, it’s about that sense of belonging and not having that break and separation from everything that they know.”

The pledge to improve support for kinship and connected person carers formed part of the council’s budget plans for the current financial year.