Council efforts to plug gaps in legal support for kinship carers "inconsistent" amid funding challenges: report

[Alison J Stevens]

https://www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk/child-protection/392-childr...

Why should Grandparents be left with genuine financial hardship when taking on the temporary caring role of their Grandchild when the birth Parents may be deemed to be a risk to their Children by Social Workers?

Social Workers have a moral obligation to consider placing Children with an immediate family member such as Grandparents, before using Foster Care when a child is taken into care by the Local Authority.

So well and good if it agreed that children should be placed with their Grandparents under the Kincare Clause.

Unless the Grandparents are below the financial threshold to be granted Legal Aid, they could be left in a vicious circle of mire.

Grandparents will be forced to use all their hard worked savings to pay for legal representation to become a party to the Public Law Care Proceedings.

Bro Bono free legal advice is hard to find, and the same goes with finding an experienced Mackenzie Friend who does work for nothing.

Family Court Protocol is not at all easy to understand, and very diverse.

In this case Grandparents that act as litigant in person, may jeopardise their own case because of lack of knowledge.

Savings all used up on legal fees, often leaves Kincare placements to breakdown.

Local Authorities are very happy to pay Foster Cares up to £500 a week for each child fostered, but would not even think of assisting the Grandparents financially to keep the children within the family.

Yes you have got it in one, Grandparents left with no assistance whatsoever with regards to their Kincare Role.

Kinship carers often do not know if they are entitled to financial support when caring for a child.

Sometimes in a lot of cases Local Authorities tell Grandparents they are entitled to nothing because they are a relative of the child.

The former is completely wrong, if the Local Authority make the arrangement for a relatives child to stay with them, the Local Authority are then responsible for supporting that placement.

As soon as a child is placed with Grandparents, the Local Authority should start assessing the Grandparents as a Foster Carer, they should pay a fostering allowance regardless of their income.

Allowances usually paid in age related payments, with a minimum weekly payment set by the Government  the older the child the bigger allowance will be.

https://frg.org.uk/get-help-and-advice/who/kinship-carers/kinship-f...

What financial support are kinship carers entitled to?

https://kinship.org.uk/2-what-financial-support-are-kinship-carers-...

But if the Grandparents do not have the full information they cannot make an informed choice.

A recent report lost in the labyrinth said that they had heard from many Kincarers, that the legal aid means test was a barrier to many carers accessing Legal Aid.

The Legal Aid Agency low income capital thresholds, if argued that removing the means test, prospective Kincarers would be able to assist family and friends to get legal advice and representation that they should be getting instead of what i have already stated LEFT IN A VICIOUS CIRCLE OF MIRE.

The report can be accessed by clicking on the link below,

.Lost in the
legal labyrinth:
How a lack of
legal aid and advice
is undermining
kinship care

https://frg.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/APPG-Kinship-Care-Leg...