CHILDREN IN FAMILY AND FRIENDS CARE

Early day motion 877, tabled 22 October 2010 by Cathy Jamieson (Labour). Signed by 27 members.

That this House notes that there is estimated to be a minimum of 10,000 children in kinship (family and friends) care in Scotland; recognises that three out of four of these families are living in poverty and that kinship care is frequently the best form of early intervention as well as a longer term option for children requiring non-parental care, particularly for those who have suffered from multiple traumas; further notes that kinship care saves the Scottish Government and local authorities an estimated minimum of 159 million per year in reduced care costs; regrets that the Scottish Government, the UK Government and Scottish local authorities have not yet been able to ensure provision of adequate financial support for all kinship carers; believes that kinship care provision will best be developed by involving kinship carers themselves as part of the decision-making process; and calls on the UK Government to work collaboratively with the Scottish Government local authorities and kinship carers to ensure that all policies are based on the needs of the child and that there is no discrimination of kinship carers based on their legal status or postcode.

Signatures by party: Labour 24, Liberal Democrat 2, DUP 1.