Scotland's Vision for Kinship Care: Our Offer of Support for Families - For engagement and consultation

5. Scotland’s National Vision for Kinship Care

Our vision is of a Scotland where children and young people living in kinship families receive the right support, at the right time, so they can thrive and reach their potential. Kinship care would continue to be routinely explored as a positive place for children to be cared for and, importantly, be recognised and valued as a vital part of society. Kinship carers and the children living with them would be supported through holistic, place based, whole family support based on the 10 principles of family support outlined in The Promise. And children living in kinship families are listened to and are placed at the centre of decision making about their lives, with their rights upheld. There would be equitable access to appropriate, high-quality help and support for kinship families based on their unique needs and experiences, delivered by people and organisations working effectively together.

Our vision applies to all kinship families in Scotland. This includes those families where the child is ‘looked after’; those with a legal status/orders such as a Section 11, and those in private arrangements.

However, it is important to recognise that kinship carers are not a homogeneous group. The vision and offer (set out in section 6) aims to improve recognition and support for all kinship families, while respecting these different legal routes and related responsibilities. It does not change legal entitlements or duties under Part 13 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 and the Kinship Care Assistance (Scotland) Order 2016 or those who are looked after in kinship care. This means that in addition to the vision and offer, local authorities have additional duties to those children and young people. For example, young people who are ‘looked after away from home’ – living with foster carers, kinship carers or in residential care – on or after their 16th birthday have legal rights and entitlements to stay in the same place with the same carers up until their 21st birthday. There are also different duties on local authorities and corporate parents if a child or young person is looked after.

The Foundations

Our new working vision and offer to kinship families is underpinned by the universal principles of GIRFEC, UNCRC and built on the 5 foundations set out in The Promise. It acknowledges the support and good practice already in place for kinship families and seeks to strengthen this through continued partnership and shared effort. Collectively, leadership and delivery will help us Keep The Promise and reduce child poverty by 2030.

Voice: Being Heard and Empowered

The voice of kinship families: babies, infants, children, young people and the adults who are caring for them – must be at the heart of decision making nationally, locally and especially where it affects their everyday life, and future. Family group decision making approaches are a key way to empower children and should be part of decision-making where, safe and appropriate, if kinship care is being considered. Access to information, advocacy and legal advice also helps ensure that children and families understand their rights and how they can access them. Kinship carers should be enabled and empowered to access the support they need to care for the child they are looking after, and the help they need to look after themselves.

Family: Benefits of Kinship Care

Kinship care - living with relatives or close family friends – is a vital way to maintain family life. It should be actively considered as an alternative place for children and young people to live if they cannot live with their birth parents, and it meets the needs of the child. International evidence^[2] generally demonstrates that kinship care can retain a sense of family, identity and heritage and may increase the chances of children maintaining critical connections such as staying in the same school and community.

Evidence^[3] also indicates (with variation by context) that when well supported, children in kinship care often feel settled and safe and experience strong continuity of relationships, schooling and community. Kinship care can also bring with it the increased possibility for reunification with the birth family where appropriate, and support for birth families should continue so that relationships can be repaired and sustained wherever this is safe and in the child’s best interests. The strong policy emphasis on kinship as the first consideration has existed explicitly in Scotland since 2007.

Care: Equity of support

As The Promise states, “support must be offered freely without the kinship carer having to fight for it.” Support should be based on the unique family needs of children and carers – not the legal status of the arrangement. Families must receive the right support at the right time, with a flexible “step up, step down” approach across the childhood journey.

Kinship families should be able to access holistic, place based, whole family support. This support should be practical, emotional and financial support and in line with the 10 principles of family support set out in The Promise. It should also take account of cultural, ethic or other diversity needs.

Care should have the infant, child or young person’s wellbeing, views and interests at the centre with tailored support for the kinship carer(s) to help them better meet the physical, emotional and practical needs of the child. This should be captured in the Child’s Plan where applicable, or a separate record, as it helps kinship families flourish and stay together.

People: High quality advice, support and information

To ensure that carers can provide the trauma informed and nurturing care required by children in kinship care, and support educational, physical, emotional and mental health needs, kinship carers must have access to high-quality advice, support and help. This should be both practical and emotional. This begins at or before the point of potential placement and continues proactively over the kinship journey. Supporting kinship carers enables strong, meaningful and sustained relationships, and enhances the positive contribution they already make, resulting in resilient carers who can provide strong and loving homes.

Scaffolding: Role of partners

Support for kinship families should come from a range of providers, and there is a role for many different organisations. While some legal duties rest with local authorities, this is not solely a social work responsibility. Partners across housing, education, health, justice, the third sector, community organisations, and volunteers all have a role to play in delivering the holistic, place-based, whole-family support that kinship families need and deserve. Corporate parents only have particular legal duties to those who are looked after by the local authority.

The Government expects a multi-agency approach to service design and delivery, with Children’s Services Planning Partnerships and GIRFEC playing a central role. There is no one-size-fits-all model. Social work involvement in kinship families should be guided by the same principles that apply to any family. Kinship families—especially those without social work involvement— should be able to access universal services, third sector support, and community-based resources such as existing family centres. All support must be free from stigma and judgement, widely promoted, and easily accessible.