The Scottish Government

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ISBN 978 0 7559 6678 3
This document is also available in pdf format (288k)

Contents

Citizens Advice Scotland

1 Introduction

2 Benefits for those with responsibility for children
2.1 Child Benefit
2.1.1 Responsibility for a child
2.1.2 Fostering and adoption allowances
2.2 Child tax Credit
2.2.1 Responsibility for a child
2.2.2 Fostering and adoption allowances and child maintenance payments
2.3 Disability living allowance ( DLA)
2.4 Guardian's allowance
2.5 Other benefits and the impact of responsibility for a child
2.6 Working tax credit
2.7 Housing benefit and council tax benefit
2.8 Additional State Pension
2.9 Home Responsibilities Protection
2.9.1 How HRP works
2.9.2 Entitlement conditions
2.10 Passported benefits
2.11 Effect of gaining responsibility for a child
2.12 Making a benefit claim and challenging a decision

3 Case studies

4 Potential issues that may impact on kinship carers' benefit claims.
4.1 Understanding the benefits system
4.2 Proving responsibility for a child
4.3 Administrative delays
4.4 Need to report all changes in circumstances
4.5 Intermittent care responsibilities or shared care
4.6 Possible impact on the benefit entitlement of the child's parent
4.7 Mortgages for owner occupiers
4.8 Effects of payment of maintenance for care of a child
4.8.1 Fostering allowance made by local authority
4.8.2 Child maintenance paid by a parent
4.9 Consideration of options for low income kinship carers
4.10 Income of kinship carer is too high for means tested benefits

5 Conclusion

6 References

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