In response to the announcement that the Scottish Government are to invest £10million in equalling kinship care allowances locally to those of foster carers, Sara Lurie, director of The Fostering Network Scotland, said: “The Fostering Network in Scotland is calling for a commitment from the Scottish Government to introduce minimum fostering allowances, and therefore parity from service to service, following on from their promise to bring kinship care allowances to the same level as fostering allowances.

“Without the introduction of minimum allowances to foster care, and then equalling it for kinship carers, the Scottish Government will create a postcode lottery of care akin with that currently faced by foster carers, that is not fair on those who dedicate their lives to caring for children who cannot live with their birth parents.

“Scotland is the only nation in the UK to not have a minimum allowance for foster carers. In England and Northern Ireland there is a minimum of £119 per week, and in Wales it is £159 per week. However in Scotland some foster carers receive as little as £77.69 per week which means that foster carers in Scotland are having to dig deep into their own pockets to care for children on behalf of the local authority – and we don’t want kinship carers to have to do the same. We have repeatedly expressed these concerns in the past, and will continue to do so.”

You can find more information on the department for education recommended allowances in England and Northern Ireland on the Government's website.