Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the financial support available to kinship carers.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The recently published Independent Review of Children’s Social Care set out recommendations on how the government can better support kinship families
The department is now considering these recommendations, including the recommendation to create a financial allowance. The department is working on a comprehensive response to the recommendations in the review, which will set out how we intend to help kinship families.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the independent review of children’s social care final report, published in May 2022, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of providing kinship carers with (a) paid time off work when a child starts living with them and (b) financial allowances at the same rate as foster carers.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department recognises the invaluable and important role that kinship carers play in their kin children’s lives. The recently published Independent Review of Children’s Social Care set out recommendations on how the government can better support kinship families.
The department is now considering how to take these recommendations forward, including the recommendations to create a financial allowance and a new paid parental leave entitlement for kinship carers.
The department is working on an ambitious and comprehensive response to the recommendations in the review.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2022 to Question 30078 on Carers’ Benefits, what progress her Department has made in considering the recommendations on kinship carers set out in the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department recognises the invaluable and important role that kinship carers play in their kin children’s lives. The recently published Independent Review of Children’s Social Care set out recommendations on how the government can better support kinship families.
The department is now considering how to take these recommendations forward, including the recommendations to create a financial allowance and a new paid parental leave entitlement for kinship carers.
The department is working on an ambitious and comprehensive response to the recommendations in the review.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing a right to kinship leave for special guardians and kinship carers with a child arrangements order.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The recently published Independent Review of Children’s Social Care set out recommendations on how the government can better support kinship families. The department is currently considering how we can take these recommendations forward, including the recommendations to create an allowance and a new entitlement to kinship leave for all special guardians and kinship carers with a Child Arrangements Order in place.
The department is rapidly working up an ambitious and comprehensive implementation strategy in response to the recommendations in the Review, which will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the potential cost of providing kinship carers with a non-means tested allowance at the same rate as foster carers who look after a child in care.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The recently published Independent Review of Children’s Social Care set out recommendations on how the government can better support kinship families. The department is currently considering how we can take these recommendations forward, including the recommendations to create an allowance and a new entitlement to kinship leave for all special guardians and kinship carers with a Child Arrangements Order in place.
The department is rapidly working up an ambitious and comprehensive implementation strategy in response to the recommendations in the Review, which will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Andrew Gwynne (Labour - Denton and Reddish)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress his Department has made on expanding the scope of legal aid to cover special guardianship orders in private family proceedings as set out in Legal Support Action Plan, published February 2019; and if he will meet interested parties, including the all-party Parliamentary group on Kinship Care.
Answered by Sarah Dines
I am pleased to confirm that the Government intends to bring forward secondary legislation to expand the scope of legal aid to Special Guardianship Orders in Autumn 2022 to deliver on the commitment made in the Legal Support Action Plan, published in 2019.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has a timescale for the reform of (a) fostering, (b) adoption, (c) kinship and (b) residential care for children.
Answered by Brendan Clarke-Smith
The department is carefully assessing the recommendations made by the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, including those on reforming fostering, adoption, kinship, and residential care for children. We are currently establishing a National Implementation Board, which will respond with an implementation plan by the end of the year.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of granting kinship carers paid time off work when a child starts living with them.
Answered by Brendan Clarke-Smith
The department will consider the recommendations made in the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, including the recommendations to introduce a statutory definition of kinship care, provide kinship carers with paid time off work when a child starts living with them, and provide financial allowances at the same rate as foster carers.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing all kinship carers with a weekly allowance.
Answered by Brendan Clarke-Smith
The department will consider the recommendations made in the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, including the recommendations to introduce a statutory definition of kinship care, provide kinship carers with paid time off work when a child starts living with them, and provide financial allowances at the same rate as foster carers.
Asked by: Rupa Huq (Labour - Ealing Central and Acton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a single statutory definition of kinship care.
Answered by Brendan Clarke-Smith
The department will consider the recommendations made in the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, including the recommendations to introduce a statutory definition of kinship care, provide kinship carers with paid time off work when a child starts living with them, and provide financial allowances at the same rate as foster carers.