Kinship Care Scotland What Can I Claim
The frustrating reality of kinship care in Scotland is that the money exists, but no single agency tells you about all of it. Five separate systems pay five different types of support, and each has its own application, its own eligibility rules, and its own processing time. Here is the full list.
Council Kinship Allowance
Who pays: your local authority (one of 32 Scottish councils)
How much: £177.68/week (ages 0-4), £206.71/week (ages 5-15), or £283.35/week (ages 16-17) — gross SRA rates for 2026-27, paid net after deductions
Who qualifies: carers of looked-after children (Section 25 or CSO) or carers with a Section 11 Kinship Care Order or Section 7 guardianship where the child was previously looked after or assessed by the council as at risk. Informal carers without social work involvement are excluded.
Council deducts it? N/A — this is the allowance itself
Child Benefit
Who pays: HMRC
How much: £27.05/week (eldest or only child), £17.90/week (additional children)
Who qualifies: anyone responsible for a child under 16 (or under 20 in approved non-advanced education), regardless of care arrangement or legal status. Claim using Form CH2.
Council deducts it? Yes — deducted from the gross SRA
Universal Credit Child Element
Who pays: DWP
How much: £303.94/month per child (£70.14/week)
Who qualifies: carers receiving UC whose kinship child is not formally looked after. If the child is looked after, you cannot claim the child element.
Council deducts it? Yes — deducted from the gross SRA
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Scottish Child Payment
Who pays: Social Security Scotland
How much: £28.20/week per child under 16
Who qualifies: carers receiving a qualifying benefit (UC, Pension Credit, Child Tax Credit, Income Support, income-based JSA, income-related ESA)
Council deducts it? No — ring-fenced by law
Best Start Grants
Who pays: Social Security Scotland
How much: Pregnancy and Baby Payment (up to £796.65), Early Learning Payment (£331.95), School Age Payment (£331.95)
Who qualifies: carers receiving a qualifying benefit, at specific age milestones
Council deducts it? No — protected
Best Start Foods
Who pays: Social Security Scotland
How much: £44.80/4 weeks (under 1 year), £22.40/4 weeks (ages 1-3) via prepaid card
Who qualifies: carers receiving a qualifying benefit with a child under 3
Council deducts it? No — protected
Guardian's Allowance
Who pays: HMRC
How much: £22.95/week on top of Child Benefit
Who qualifies: carers whose kinship child has both parents deceased, or one parent deceased and the other missing, imprisoned 2+ years, or incapacitated and detained in hospital. Form BG1.
Council deducts it? No — excluded under guidance
Pension Credit Child Addition
Who pays: DWP
How much: £72.35/week per child (2026-27)
Who qualifies: pensioner carers receiving Pension Credit
Council deducts it? Not under standard models
Child Disability Payment
Who pays: Social Security Scotland
How much: up to £114.60/week (highest rate care + mobility)
Who qualifies: children under 16 with additional care or mobility needs
Council deducts it? No — fully protected
Carer Support Payment
Who pays: Social Security Scotland
How much: £86.45/week plus £11.70/week Scottish Carer Supplement
Who qualifies: carers providing 35+ hours per week of care to a child receiving middle or highest rate Child Disability Payment
Council deducts it? No — but DWP deducts it pound-for-pound from UC
Putting It Together
A worked example: a grandparent on Pension Credit with a Section 11 order for an 8-year-old previously looked-after child could receive the council allowance (£206.71 gross, minus CB deduction), Child Benefit (£27.05), Pension Credit child addition (£72.35), Scottish Child Payment (£28.20), and potentially Guardian's Allowance (£22.95) — totalling over £300 per week before disability-related benefits.
The interactions between these payments are where mistakes happen. The Scotland kinship financial help guide maps every payment, shows which ones the council deducts, and includes a worked net-income calculation for each placement type.
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