The Fostering Network is dismayed at the recommendation from the Scottish Government’s care allowances working group that ‘the Scottish Government and COSLA should consider a Scottish Recommended Allowance’, rather than fulfilling its remit and recommending the implementation of a national minimum allowance. 

Sara Lurie, director of The Fostering Network in Scotland, said: ‘The working group was in fact itself established to consider a national approach to allowances, but it has failed to make a clear and effective recommendation on their implementation, meaning we are no nearer to a solution than before. 

'For more than a decade, the Scottish Government has promised to look into foster care allowances and foster carers in Scotland understood this latest working group to be a culmination of that promise. They are doubtless bitterly disappointed to discover that this is not the case. 

‘We now find ourselves in a vicious circle of indecision and inaction which will continue to impact negatively on thousands of foster carers and the children and young people they care for. The Scottish Government is yet again procrastinating on this vital decision. And to make this ridiculous situation even more farcical, CoSLA has stated it will now be giving “full consideration” to the recommendation that they consider the introduction of a recommended allowance. 

‘The Scottish Government’s stated ambition is to ‘make Scotland the best place in the world to grow up’ - in order to achieve this, it is vital to ensure that fostered children do not receive different standards of care depending on where in Scotland they live. Let’s have no more procrastination, let’s instead have the Scottish Government meeting its election manifesto promise to introduce a national minimum allowance for foster and kinship care, putting an end to the current inequality for fostered children and the families that care for them.’