family lawyer aberdeen
herald-legal

Family Law Aberdeen Latest News

‘State must support grandparent carers’, says YouGov poll

A nationwide poll has given a massive boost to grandparent carers, backing the case for giving them the same support as foster carers. This comes at a time when charities are concerned that new welfare reform proposals could penalise families taking on additional caring responsibilities.

The YouGov poll shows that 76% of adults think grandparents and other family members (kinship carers) who are bringing up a child because their parents cannot look after them should receive practical help from the local authority. Around 67% of the poll say the same group should receive a financial allowance.

The English poll was commissioned by charities Grandparents Plus, the Family and Parenting Institute and Family Lives amidst fears that the latest policy proposals will hit kinship carers hard by capping benefit support for families with more than two children, and by excluding kinship carers from benefiting from parental leave reforms.

Grandparents Plus Chief Executive Sam Smethers said: “Grandparent carers are already treated as second class carers because they are not entitled to similar support to foster carers or to parental leave when they take on care of children. The latest proposals to cap benefits for those with more than two children will penalise them for providing that care. Kinship carers are often bringing up larger numbers of children and the proposals and will deter family members with children of their own from stepping in to help.

“The poll clearly shows that the proposals are out of line with public opinion, where kinship carers are concerned.”

Husband’s ‘unreasonable behaviour’
Lifting the lid on adoption myths

Related Posts

no legal aid