Financial Support
Kinship Carers of 'looked after children' may be eligible to claim Child Benefit but are not entitled to claim Child Tax Credits for the child.
When a child is placed you, the Kinship Worker should check if you are eligible for financial support. If you meet the criteria, you will be referred for a financial assessment.
Types of financial support which may be available:
- LAC Kinship Allowance– where children have been placed with Kinship Carers through a Children’s Hearing, or with a S25 agreement, their carer may be eligible to receive a weekly payment towards their care.
- Non LAC Kinship Allowance – where children are living with Kinship Carers who have been awarded a Residence order or Kinship Care Order, their carer may be eligible to receive a weekly payment towards their care.
If you are receiving any child-related benefits, Fife Council will deduct these from the allowance you are paid.
The current weekly allowances (set by the Scottish Government in August 2023) before any deduction are:
- 0 to 4 year-olds: £168.31
- 5 to 10 year-olds: £195.81
- 11 to 15 year-olds: £195.81
- 16-years-old and over: £268.41
Other benefits
If you are resident in Scotland, responsible for a child under 6 and in receipt of one of the following low-income benefits you may be eligible for Scottish Child Payment/Best Start Grant/Best Start Foods:
- Child Tax Credit
- Universal Credit
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- Working Tax Credit
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Housing Benefit (Best Start Grant/Best Start Foods only)
The Scottish Child Payment is a benefit introduced by the Scottish Government for families in receipt of reserved benefits. It is a weekly payment of £26.70 per week per child every four weeks.
For more information and advice contact your Kinship Worker or go to www.Mygov.scot