You may still receive some financial support from your Local Authority because you are a kinship carer
For people caring for a “non looked after” child there are three issues that arise in relation to other benefits:
The Benefit | What it means | Contact details of the awarding body |
---|---|---|
Kinship Care Allowance | This is currently paid to kinship carers of non-looked after children who were previously “looked after”, were placed with the kinship carer with the involvement of social work, or are at risk of becoming “looked after” and are now subject to a Kinship Care Order under Section 11 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (sometimes referred to as a Residence Order). This should be paid at the same rate as the local fostering allowance, with any entitlement to Child Benefit and Child Tax Credit deducted. The Local Authority should not deduct from the kinship care payment any disability element paid as part of Child Tax Credit payments for a child with a disability. | Local Authority |
Child Benefit (CB) |
|
HM Revenue and Customs PO Box 1 Newcastle Upon Tyne NE88 1AA T: 0300 200 3100 |
Child Tax Credit (CTC) |
|
HM Revenue and Customs (Tax Credits) Tax Credit Office Preston PR1 4AT www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits T: 0345 300 3900 |
Working Tax Credit (WTC) |
|
HM Revenue and Customs (Tax Credits) Tax Credit Office Preston PR1 4AT www.hmrc.gov.uk/taxcredits T: 0345 300 3900 |
Income Support and Income based JSA (IS/IBJSA) |
|
Department for Work & Pensions T: 0800 055 6688 Text: 0800 023 4888 www.dwp.gov.uk |
Housing Benefit/Council Tax Reduction (HB/CTR) |
|
Local Authority |
Pension credit (PC) | Local Authority payments will not affect your PC. | The Pension Service www.pensionservice.gov.uk T: 0800 99 1234 Text: 0800 169 0133 |
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) |
The kinship carer may be able to claim Carer’s Allowance if the child gets DLA care component middle or highest rate. |
Benefit Enquiry Line T: 0345 712 3456 Text: 0345 722 4433 |
Employment & Support Allowance |
|
Department for Work & Pensions T: 0800 055 6688 Text: 0800 023 4888 www.dwp.gov.uk |
Scottish Welfare Fund (SWF) |
|
Local Authority |
We advise that you always check your local CAB office and/or Local Authority for advice