Chamber
Plenary, 11 Nov 2004
11 Nov 2004 · S2 · Plenary
Item of business
Fostering
I have every confidence that Euan Robson will achieve his aim of bringing fairness into the fostering of children and into the attitude towards kinship carers who look after their grandchildren. The minister has worked and continues to work tirelessly on behalf of children in foster care, despite the fact that the outcomes for grandparents who care for their grandchildren because of drug and alcohol problems are not always those that we require.
It is essential that children should go to their grandparents. Kinship care is very important. Over the past 18 months we have met various groups. Some of the £12 million that the minister has promised must go to offset the traumatic hardship that is imposed on kinship carers, whose grandchildren are foisted or dumped on them by social workers. Those are the carers' words, not mine. In their opinion—not mine—social workers sometimes take the soft option and place children with their grandparents, instead of finding other foster care places for them. The Executive has set an acceptable level of financial support for kinship carers, but far too often carers get no financial assistance. The Executive must ring fence the money that is given to councils, to ensure that the money that kinship carers deserve reaches its destination.
Bill Aitken delivered a studied, logical speech on the problems of fostering. I enjoyed his reference to the culture of political correctness that arises all too often in this area. Often a grandparent does not have the legal qualifications that a fosterer requires, but they can bring other influences to the upbringing of the child. However, not every grandparent is a suitable person to foster children—some do not have the necessary capabilities.
Scott Barrie highlighted the consensual approach that is essential in this area. It has been good to see consensus across the Parliament this morning.
Every effort should be made to reduce the need for children to go into residential care. As Robin Harper highlighted earlier, much more work is also needed to ensure that children from broken homes and similar situations do not have to be placed in foster or kinship care. As was mentioned earlier, there are 4,500 foster carers and we are still about 700 short.
When I met a delegation of kinship carers the following points were raised. They stated that they aim to improve the quality of life for people in their situation and that they are campaigning for improved recognition, services and support. They also want to organise social activities and offer mutual support. One of the carers highlighted the fact that advice on welfare rights and benefits is crucial, as money is needed while benefits are sorted out. It is sad that often no benefit comes to the kinship carer. It is hard enough for a grandparent who is a pensioner to exist on their pension without having one, two or more children put into their care. As a caring society, we have to do better than that. The minister recognises that and he is taking action. The carer also stated that a
"clear statement of how the social work department will support the family in the long term should be made at the start".
Too often the family do not receive that clear statement when they need the information. The carer added that
"Information on support services and groups should be provided"
and that a list of useful contacts and telephone numbers would be of assistance.
Another carer said that little assistance is provided and that making discretionary payments is not good enough. She is looking for
"regular universal payments to grandparents and relative carers"
that are similar to those given to a foster carer. It is not acceptable that a grandparent gets nothing and a foster carer can get between £60 and £150 for looking after a child. Many have given up employment or cannot look for employment because of the parenting duties involved in the foster caring that they do for their grandchildren. As another carer said, they recognise their responsibility to the children, but they need support from the Government.
Another carer said that the services that exist are good but that more are needed. The health and age of many grandparents mean that respite is urgently required. It is all right for people who are in their 20s and 30s who are bringing up kids, but for people who are 50, 60 or 70, bringing up children can be a traumatic experience. More emphasis must be placed on respite care to give those people a break. That is very important.
Euan Robson has taken those points on board and has sent a strongly worded letter to every local authority chief executive in Scotland. The letter states:
"I have received a number of representations, generally and particularly on the subject of allowances, recently from families who care for a relative's child. This concept is often known or refered to as kinship care. There appears to be a significant difference across the country in the way such cases are dealt with, therefore I am writing to remind you of the guidance that exists on this subject … Volume 2 of the guidance on the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 states that for children who are either already known to the social work department or whose parents have approached the social work department for help, the social work department may play a role, by agreement with the parents, in facilitating or supporting a child to live with his or her relatives either by helping to negotiate the arrangement or providing some financial support or both. The child is not looked after by the local authority in either of these situations and the carers do not need to be approved as foster carers."
However, those relatives need financial assistance. An unacceptable example is that of a grandparent who applied to the social work department for help and had to wait for 13 weeks to get a single bed for a 13-year-old girl to lie on—she had been sleeping on the floor. We have a long way to go, but I have every confidence in the minister to take up the cudgel on behalf of all those children. I think that he will get support from across the board.
It is essential that children should go to their grandparents. Kinship care is very important. Over the past 18 months we have met various groups. Some of the £12 million that the minister has promised must go to offset the traumatic hardship that is imposed on kinship carers, whose grandchildren are foisted or dumped on them by social workers. Those are the carers' words, not mine. In their opinion—not mine—social workers sometimes take the soft option and place children with their grandparents, instead of finding other foster care places for them. The Executive has set an acceptable level of financial support for kinship carers, but far too often carers get no financial assistance. The Executive must ring fence the money that is given to councils, to ensure that the money that kinship carers deserve reaches its destination.
Bill Aitken delivered a studied, logical speech on the problems of fostering. I enjoyed his reference to the culture of political correctness that arises all too often in this area. Often a grandparent does not have the legal qualifications that a fosterer requires, but they can bring other influences to the upbringing of the child. However, not every grandparent is a suitable person to foster children—some do not have the necessary capabilities.
Scott Barrie highlighted the consensual approach that is essential in this area. It has been good to see consensus across the Parliament this morning.
Every effort should be made to reduce the need for children to go into residential care. As Robin Harper highlighted earlier, much more work is also needed to ensure that children from broken homes and similar situations do not have to be placed in foster or kinship care. As was mentioned earlier, there are 4,500 foster carers and we are still about 700 short.
When I met a delegation of kinship carers the following points were raised. They stated that they aim to improve the quality of life for people in their situation and that they are campaigning for improved recognition, services and support. They also want to organise social activities and offer mutual support. One of the carers highlighted the fact that advice on welfare rights and benefits is crucial, as money is needed while benefits are sorted out. It is sad that often no benefit comes to the kinship carer. It is hard enough for a grandparent who is a pensioner to exist on their pension without having one, two or more children put into their care. As a caring society, we have to do better than that. The minister recognises that and he is taking action. The carer also stated that a
"clear statement of how the social work department will support the family in the long term should be made at the start".
Too often the family do not receive that clear statement when they need the information. The carer added that
"Information on support services and groups should be provided"
and that a list of useful contacts and telephone numbers would be of assistance.
Another carer said that little assistance is provided and that making discretionary payments is not good enough. She is looking for
"regular universal payments to grandparents and relative carers"
that are similar to those given to a foster carer. It is not acceptable that a grandparent gets nothing and a foster carer can get between £60 and £150 for looking after a child. Many have given up employment or cannot look for employment because of the parenting duties involved in the foster caring that they do for their grandchildren. As another carer said, they recognise their responsibility to the children, but they need support from the Government.
Another carer said that the services that exist are good but that more are needed. The health and age of many grandparents mean that respite is urgently required. It is all right for people who are in their 20s and 30s who are bringing up kids, but for people who are 50, 60 or 70, bringing up children can be a traumatic experience. More emphasis must be placed on respite care to give those people a break. That is very important.
Euan Robson has taken those points on board and has sent a strongly worded letter to every local authority chief executive in Scotland. The letter states:
"I have received a number of representations, generally and particularly on the subject of allowances, recently from families who care for a relative's child. This concept is often known or refered to as kinship care. There appears to be a significant difference across the country in the way such cases are dealt with, therefore I am writing to remind you of the guidance that exists on this subject … Volume 2 of the guidance on the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 states that for children who are either already known to the social work department or whose parents have approached the social work department for help, the social work department may play a role, by agreement with the parents, in facilitating or supporting a child to live with his or her relatives either by helping to negotiate the arrangement or providing some financial support or both. The child is not looked after by the local authority in either of these situations and the carers do not need to be approved as foster carers."
However, those relatives need financial assistance. An unacceptable example is that of a grandparent who applied to the social work department for help and had to wait for 13 weeks to get a single bed for a 13-year-old girl to lie on—she had been sleeping on the floor. We have a long way to go, but I have every confidence in the minister to take up the cudgel on behalf of all those children. I think that he will get support from across the board.
In the same item of business
Resumed debate.
Alex Fergusson:
Con
It would be nice if members always flooded into the chamber when I rose to speak.I can barely imagine what qualities it takes to be a good foster-parent. I g...
Scott Barrie:
Lab
Does Alex Fergusson accept that the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 states that, before any child is removed from its home and placed in public residential or f...
Alex Fergusson:
Con
I respect the background and experience that Mr Barrie brings to the debate and am aware of the provision to which he refers. However, constituents' experien...
John Swinburne (Central Scotland) (SSCUP):
SSCUP
I have every confidence that Euan Robson will achieve his aim of bringing fairness into the fostering of children and into the attitude towards kinship carer...
Mr Frank McAveety (Glasgow Shettleston) (Lab):
Lab
I congratulate members on the rash of unanimity that has broken out in the chamber. Frances Curran even made a moderate demand in her speech—I hope that Tomm...
Scott Barrie:
Lab
There is only one that starts with an R.
Mr McAveety:
Lab
Sorry. There is only one. That show why I was an English teacher rather than a maths teacher. I thank Scott Barrie.There are four Rs that are required to mak...
Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD):
LD
I apologise to the chamber for coming in slightly late—there was a points failure at Cowlairs while I was on my way here on the train. I did not hear all of ...
Robin Harper:
Green
Does the member accept that we could also do more to support young parents, in line with Susan Deacon's recent motion?
Robert Brown:
LD
Robin Harper makes a good point. These issues do not exist in a cul-de-sac but are part of a spectrum of social issues. The least-harm principle very much su...
Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab):
Lab
I am pleased to sum up in the debate. As others have said, there is a clear consensus in the chamber on the value of foster carers—although I agree with Dona...
Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con):
Con
We agree with the points that the minister made. On behalf of the Scottish Conservatives, I give our support to any measures that will help to address the ma...
Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP):
SNP
Nanette Milne prefaced her speech by indicating that she was worried about repetition. She went on to mention kinship care, among other matters that members ...
Christine May:
Lab
I accept everything that Kenny MacAskill says, but does he acknowledge that, although many children in the looked-after system go on to commit offences, many...
Mr MacAskill:
SNP
Absolutely. Statistics that the Executive has issued show that a small minority of our children offend. Rather than prosecuting a war on a generation, we sho...
Euan Robson:
LD
This has been a useful and important debate. I am grateful for members' contributions, some of which have demonstrated their professional expertise and some ...
Scott Barrie:
Lab
Does the minister accept that we should not fall into the trap of automatic acceptance of adoption in the case of adolescents with a long-term stable foster ...
Euan Robson:
LD
That is quite correct. I endorse that point and the review will consider it. In his speech, Scott Barrie addressed the variety of tasks that foster carers mu...
Mary Scanlon:
Con
Will the minister give way?
The Presiding Officer (Mr George Reid):
NPA
No—the minister is closing.
Euan Robson:
LD
If I ask myself what I would want for my child in such circumstances, the answer can be only the best possible service, which our announcement today is worki...