Question reference: S6W-26979
- Date lodged: 23 April 2024
-
Current status: Answered by Natalie Don on 1 May 2024
Question
To ask the Scottish Government when the 2023-24 Scottish Recommended Allowance for foster and kinship carers will be passed on to children living with foster carers from independent fostering providers.
Answer
The Scottish Recommended Allowance (SRA) is a standard national allowance for all eligible foster and kinship carers in Scotland to support them in caring for the children and young people they look after. Its implementation is an agreement between the Scottish Government and COSLA to ensure equity of payment by local authorities across Scotland.
The placements of children by local authorities with external agencies, such as independent fostering providers, is a contracted agreement between the local authority and agency and, therefore, discussions on the implementation of the SRA would be held in this context. However, responsibility for payment of the allowance to foster carers ultimately sits with the independent fostering providers, not the local authority.
The Scottish Government has committed to commencing a review, later this year, of the implementation of the SRA to assess what is working well and areas for improvement. As part of this review, the Scottish Government will consider how the SRA is being experienced by all foster carers, including those with independent fostering providers.