Last week the Scottish Government published an independent review of the Scottish Recommended Allowance (SRA) for foster and kinship carers. While the introduction of the SRA in August 2023 was welcomed, the review found “unanimous” agreement that the SRA rates are too low and should be increased.
About the review
The review was commissioned by the Scottish Government to find out whether all foster and kinship carers are receiving at least the SRA and explore the extent to which the SRA has brought consistency and transparency to their allowances. Scotland was the last nation of the UK to introduce a recommended/national allowance rate for foster carers.
The review involved surveys of 271 foster and kinship carers, 30 local authorities, and five independent fostering agencies (IFAs), as well as interviews with 40 carers, three IFA representative organisations, a group of IFA staff, and ten third sector organisations. The Fostering Network took part in an interview, sharing insights from our research, forums, and top issues raised in calls to Fosterline Scotland.
Adequacy of the SRA
“The remuneration doesn’t cover cost of living for a child and if my husband didn’t work full time we wouldn’t be able to foster a child.”
Many of the quotes from carers included in the report echo what we often hear from our foster carer members and through our State of the Nations’ Foster Care surveys - that current allowances are too low and this disadvantages children and families.
“Carers reported using their own money to help them with unmet needs as a result of the allowances being too low, including using savings, money from benefits and pensions, from the foster carer fee, and relying on loans and support from other family members, as well as also taking on other employment or increasing hours in existing employment. Some were also relying heavily on credit to get by.”
The review does highlight the positive impact of the SRA on many fostering and kinship families in Scotland. It reports that local authorities have increased their weekly allowances for foster carers by an average of £26.72 for children aged 0-4, £34.48 for children aged 5-10, £8.20 for children aged 11-15, and £34.65 for children aged 16+ since the introduction of the SRA. For kinship carers, weekly allowances have increased by an average of £20.09 for children aged 0-4, £28.01 for children aged 5-10, £3.61 for children aged 11-15, and £30.06 for children aged 16+.
These are not insignificant sums, and the report gives credit where it is due; the SRA has meant many foster and kinship carers across Scotland now receive more money to help them meet the needs of the children and young people they look after.
Issues with the SRA’s implementation
However, the review also highlights numerous issues which we and other stakeholders have been raising with the Scottish Government repeatedly since the SRA’s introduction. It’s clear that there are still major disparities between foster and kinship carers, with many kinship carers receiving lower allowances, having benefits deducted (even if they are not receiving them), or not receiving an allowance at all if the children they care for are not formally ‘looked after’.
The report also reflects the widespread view that the 5-15 age band is not fit for purpose, and that the SRA should include a specified band for young people in Continuing Care. It highlights that numerous local authorities still do not provide transparent information about allowances online, despite agreeing to do so when the SRA was introduced. And it shares reports from IFAs that the money given to local authorities to cover the SRA has not been passed to them, leaving their carers – and the children living with them – worse off.
Next steps
It has now been almost two years since the introduction of the Scottish Recommended Allowance. Rates have been frozen since then, which has had a detrimental effect on carers and children. We urge the Scottish Government to act quickly to implement the changes that we, other organisations, and foster and kinship carers have been calling for.
We recommend that the Scottish Government:
- Increase the SRA to match The Fostering Network’s recommended allowance rates (which include distinct amounts for the 5-10 and 11-15 age bands), and legislate to introduce a statutory uprating duty on the Scottish Government.
- Introduce a Scottish Recommended Allowance for Continuing Care.
- Legislate to require local authorities and independent fostering agencies to publish transparent information online about allowances and fees.
- Legislate to require local authorities to pay the SRA to IFAs as part of their contractual agreements, and to require IFAs to pay the SRA to their carers.
- Commission a similar review of foster carer fees across Scotland to inform the development of a national fee framework for foster carers.
You can read the review of the SRA here.
