The new strategy, ‘Getting it Right for Every Child in Kinship and Foster Care’, outlines support for a minimum national allowance of between £119 and £198 per week to be paid to all carers, with similar allowance paid to approved kinship carers of looked after children. It also proposes better training and support for foster and kinship carers, a specialist information service to give kinship carers advice on benefits and maximising financial support and a national protocol for dealing with complaints and allegations against foster and kinship carers.

Launching the strategy, Minister for Children and Early Years Adam Ingram said it would bolster support given to carers and the children they look after.

He said: "In an ideal world every child would live in a safe and secure environment. Removing any child from the care of their parents is an enormous step with huge responsibilities and that's why the measures announced today are so important.

"This strategy is a significant way forward for bolstering the support given to carers and the children they look after.

"The delivery of this strategy relies on a fundamental relationship between this government and our colleagues in local government and I want it to be a model of good partnership to help improve the lives of those in our most vulnerable families.

"All children deserve a secure and stable home to grow up in and I know how great the responsibility is that carers take on.

"We want to do everything we can to support families to stay together and I believe the new measures announced today will amount to a real and lasting difference to that support."

Maggie Mellon, director, Children and Family Services at CHILDREN 1ST said that today’s announcement is “very welcome indeed.”

She continued: “This new strategy underlines the government’s commitment to kinship care and to family group conferencing and is an important step forward for Scotland. We are working with a rising number of local authorities in Scotland to provide family group conferences to keep the wider family involved in children’s lives. 

“Removing a child from his or her family is one of the highest risk decisions that a social worker will ever take.  We need to work in a  new way with children and their families if we are going to stop the too-frequent tragedy of children being passed from pillar to post ‘in care’ and ending up alone and unsupported in their teens and twenties.” 

 “It is very important that support is provided before children end up being cared for by their local authorities. It is vital that children and their families get practical and emotional support when it is needed.    Care services are expensive and eat up resources that should be targeted on prevention.”

Conservative MSP Liz Smith, Shadow Minister for Children, Schools & Skills, also welcomed the strategy and said that she looks forward to scrutinising it and discussing it at Wednesday’s debate.

She said: “The publication of this strategy has long been anticipated and is very welcome. In the difficult situations where children cannot live with their parents, we appreciate that they will generally want to live with a family member or friend or, if that is not possible, in a family environment with someone known to them rather than in a residential care establishment.

“This is only natural. Whilst a council worker will work tirelessly to do their very best for a child, nothing can replace the love and security of a family environment. In most cases, such a placement will also give the child the best chance of overcoming the disruption and stressful circumstances that they have faced and going on to develop happily and confidently.

“However, foster care and kinship care has been somewhat overlooked by government in recent years and provision varies widely throughout the country, with areas of significant shortages and poor practice persisting.

“Scottish Conservatives look forward to scrutinising the strategy and discussing it with the minority government in Wednesday’s debate. On this issue I think all parties can agree and work together to ensure that all children have access to the happy, stable home life that they deserve.”

‘Getting it Right for Every Child in Kinship and Foster Care’ is available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/fosterkinshipcarestrategy