Benefit Information
You now have parental responsibilities and rights for the child in your care.
You may still receive payments from the Local Authority to care for this child
It is important to understand that when you gain parental responsibilities and rights for a child, this may affect your Social Security benefit or Tax Credit that you receive.
Once you gain these rights, if the child was previously “Looked After” by the local authority, they will no longer be “Looked After” but you are still entitled to receive Kinship Care Allowance. Your tax credits may be impacted by this change in circumstances.
When contacting your CAB for advice they will ask you key questions in order to work out your entitlements.
Question 1: They will ask you if you are caring for a ‘looked after’ or ‘non looked after’ child.
Answer:
You have chosen the ‘non-looked after’ section of the guide. If you are not sure that the child you care for is ‘not looked after’, go back and have another look at the flowchart on “What kind of kinship carer are you?”, or speak to your social worker or CAB advisor about it.
Question 2: The advisor will then want to know if you are receiving any kinship care payments from your Local Authority.
Answer:
If so, they will want to know what section of legislation the Local Authority is using to make the payment. Please select from the two possible sections below.
| Section |
|---|
| Section 22 Children (Scotland) Act 1995 |
| Section 50 of the Children Act 1975 |
You should always inform the relevant authorities of any change to your circumstances.
Every situation is different and you should always ask for advice which is relevant to your own circumstances.
At any time you are unsure or confused about your benefit entitlements please contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau.
For more details see www.cas.org.uk