Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Support for Kinship Carers

Monday 9 December 2024 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Minister announced a 40 million trial for a kinship allowance to support kinship placements.
  • Government is expanding virtual school heads schemes and continues to review financial support for children in kinship care.
  • Government acknowledges the need for respite provision but has not committed to specific timelines or programmes.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alice Macdonald Labour (Co-op) Norwich North
Children & Families
Context

Kinship carers in Norwich face significant financial and emotional challenges while doing an essential job. The 'Forgotten' report by Kinship highlights issues with current support structures.

Question

What steps is she taking to improve support for kinship carers? I recently met kinship carers who do amazing work but struggle financially due to inaccessible and complex support systems, such as pupil premium plus. Has the Minister assessed extending financial support to all children in kinship care?

Answer from Janet Daby

Supporting kinship placements is critical, and a £40 million trial has been announced for a kinship allowance. The Government acknowledges the crucial role of kinship carers but states that while reviewing financial support, the focus remains on collaboration between schools and kinship carers to ensure children receive appropriate assistance.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Extending relevant financial support such as pupil premium plus to all children in kinship care

How: Reviewing The Matter

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Q2 Alice Macdonald Labour (Co-op) Norwich North
Children & Families
Context

Kinship carers in Norwich face significant financial challenges, and a report highlights inaccessible and complex support systems.

Question

Has the Minister made an assessment of extending relevant financial support, such as pupil premium plus, to all children in kinship care?

Answer from Janet Daby

The Government acknowledges the crucial role of kinship carers and is expanding virtual school heads schemes. The Department will continue to review matters to ensure appropriate support for children, but has not provided a specific assessment on extending financial support like pupil premium plus.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Extending relevant financial support such as pupil premium plus to all children in kinship care

How: Continue To Review The Matter

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Q3 Jim Shannon DUP Strangford
Children & Families
Context

Kinship carers need short-term breaks to ease pressures on families.

Question

What progress has been made on offering kinship carers respite provision, so that they can be given short-term breaks?

Answer from Janet Daby

The Government acknowledges the need and supports family group decision making to discuss respite provision. However, there is no detailed commitment on timelines or specific programmes.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific progress and timeline for respite breaks

How: Discussing Respite And Related Matters

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