Scottish Child Payment Kinship Carers

The Scottish Child Payment is one of the most valuable devolved benefits for kinship carers in Scotland, and it comes with a protection that no other regular payment offers: your council cannot deduct it from your kinship allowance. That ring-fencing is written into law, making SCP effectively "bonus" income on top of everything else.

Current Rate and Payment Schedule

For 2026-27, the Scottish Child Payment pays £28.20 per week per eligible child under 16. That's £112.80 every four weeks, paid directly into your bank account by Social Security Scotland. There is no cap on the number of children — if you care for three kinship children who all qualify, you receive £84.60 per week.

The Scottish Government has committed to raising the rate to £40.00 per week for children under 1 year old starting in the 2027-28 financial year.

Who Qualifies

Three conditions must all be met:

1. You live in Scotland
2. You're responsible for a child under 16 — kinship carers qualify regardless of biological relationship. You don't need a court order.
3. You or your partner receive a qualifying benefit: Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Child Tax Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, or income-related Employment and Support Allowance

The qualifying benefit condition catches most kinship carers. If you're a working-age carer on Universal Credit, you qualify. If you're a pensioner grandparent on Pension Credit, you qualify. Even legacy benefit recipients still on Income Support or income-based JSA qualify.

If you don't currently receive any qualifying benefit, applying for one could unlock SCP. For pensioner carers, Pension Credit is often the simplest route.

How to Apply

Apply through mygov.scot online or by calling Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222. You can apply for SCP, Best Start Grant, and Best Start Foods on a single combined application form.

You'll need your National Insurance number, bank details, and the child's details. Social Security Scotland checks whether you or your partner receive a qualifying benefit.

The Ring-Fencing Rule

This is the detail that matters most for kinship carers receiving a council allowance. When the council calculates your net kinship payment, it deducts Child Benefit and the UC child element from the gross Scottish Recommended Allowance rate. But the Scottish Child Payment is explicitly excluded from that calculation.

In practice, that means SCP sits entirely outside the council offset system. A carer receiving the SRA, Child Benefit, UC, and SCP keeps the full £28.20 per week on top of everything else.

Some councils have attempted to include SCP in their deduction calculations. If yours does, that is incorrect. CPAG Scotland and the Kinship Care Advice Service (KCASS) on 08000 28 22 33 can help you challenge it.

Automatic Best Start Payments

Once you're receiving SCP, two Best Start Grant components may arrive automatically without a separate application:

• Early Learning Payment (£331.95) when the child turns 2 to 3.5 years old
• School Age Payment (£331.95) in the year the child starts primary school

These automatic awards reduce the paperwork burden during a period when you're already navigating multiple agencies.

SCP and Other Benefits

SCP does not count as income for Universal Credit, Pension Credit, or any other means-tested benefit. It is completely invisible to the DWP. It doesn't affect your Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, or any other entitlement.

The only interaction to watch is the qualifying benefit itself. If you stop receiving all qualifying benefits, you may lose SCP eligibility. If Social Security Scotland reduces or stops your SCP and you appeal that decision, apply for Short-Term Assistance to maintain it during the appeal.

For the full map of how SCP fits alongside your council allowance, Child Benefit, UC, and every other payment a kinship carer in Scotland can access, see the Scotland kinship financial help guide.

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