National review of care allowances: final report and recommendations

Foreword

High quality care, trusting consistent relationships, and support that is flexible to meet the needs of individual children are what is needed in order to improve outcomes for our looked after children. The support that families receive can make a real difference to the children and young people they care for and in developing the recommendations, we have heard the voices of approximately 1000 young people, foster and kinship carers, adopters and practitioners who told us what matters to them when it comes to allowances and wider support. Many of those who participated in the consultation said that they would welcome support that goes beyond the foster, kinship or adoption allowance they receive, focusing on how they can get the information and support they need, when they need it most to improve the lives of their families.

The work of the Group is firmly set within the framework of Getting it Right For Every Child, supporting improvements for the outcomes and wellbeing of our children and young people. We have taken a rights-based approach, identifying the needs of children in foster and kinship care, as well as those who have been adopted and focusing on how, as Corporate Parents, we can collectively meet those needs. This Review intended to complement the work of the independent Care Review, by looking at ways to improve the life chances and wellbeing of children in kinship and foster care, as well as adopted children.

As a Group, we were asked to look at the current landscape of foster, kinship and adoption allowances, including the practical and financial support available and to recommend ways in which it could be improved. I am grateful to the members of the National Review of Care Allowances Group for their dedication and support in developing the recommendations and to everyone who contributed to the consultation.

Iona Colvin
Chair, National Review of Care Allowances