Scotland – Kinship carers support pack now available
Mentor UK are pleased to announce the release of our Kinship Care Resource Guide.
This is a definitive guide, produced so that kinship carers across Scotland can gain a clearer outline of their roles and responsibilities when they become a full time carer of a close relative or friend’s child. This guide aims to inform the kinship carer of each step of the process that they will be involved in, what support they may receive from their local authority and their financial and legal rights and responsibilities.
Mentor UK have worked closely with a number of agencies such as Citizens Advice Scotland, Circle, Child Poverty Action Group, Scottish Government, local authorities and kinship carers to produce a guide which meets carers needs.
One of the kinship carers we asked to read the guide said:
It made me feel good because I could understand it and I didn’t feel stupid.
It made me feel great because I knew what I was looking at I understood what was on the paper and felt quite clever.
Another told us:
The guide breaks it all down to every last detail, so you understand this is what I get, this is what I am entitled to.
It is so easy, instead of reading lots and lots of leaflets you know that you are there, at the right bit, and exactly what you are entitled to.
This guide is easy to use and is designed to help all types of kinship carers, be it “looked after”, “non looked after” and those in informal relationships. All kinship carers must be aware of their rights and responsibilities and it is hoped that this resource will inform them of those.
It is colour coded so that kinship carers can find their own section that applies to them and it also contains a section which explains complicated processes within the children and families system as well as national support agencies that can offer support and guidance.
We hope to make the resource available at social work offices, libraries, community centres, doctors and dentist surgeries across Scotland as well as online.
If anyone has any questions or concerns about this resource and would like to know more please contact Heather at Mentor UK on +44 131 552 8660.
Download here.
The pack looks very comprehensive and a good source of information and postive encouragement. Is it possible to get some copies for our carers centre?
Good morning I hope you can help,I was not aware of your organisation and came upon it by chance when browsing internet.My wife and I look after our 12 year old niece on a voluntary basis receiving link carers allowance after being approached by social work almost 10 years ago.She has very difficult behaviour to deal with and we find social work very unhelpful and unsupportive to our situation.We are at our wits end and emotionally drained,can you please offer any advice.Yours Sincerely Laird and Hilena McDonald
is it possible to get a pack as i dont know where i stand i have looked after my two grandsons age6 and 9 for two and a half years their mum is a drug addict north lanarkshire refused to help financially so last year we lost our house it was reppossesed,so we moved into a private let and when i went to my councilor he intervened and we recieved 157 pounds every two weeks not a lot of money they put it up in august to 250 but they stopped it because we were late getting the forms in we lost our son in feb to a drug overdose and have struggled we have had no support from social work and had no help in dealing with two small boys who need counseling but they are refusing my husband has been paid off and has now been diagnosed with glaucoma and as he was an hgv driver will now lose his licence x