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Aldgate and McIntosh (2006) have undertaken the largest study of kinship care in Scotland to date. They sought the views of children in stable, longer term, kinship placements on their experiences alongside a survey of national policies and practices. Their principal findings included:
Better social work support is needed for kinship placements, including direct work with children on issues which lead to their placement as well as present needs. Social work intervention should also include the provision of support to carers based on an appropriate framework of support.
Where children are in kinship placements long-term, careful thought needs to be given to the best ways of achieving permanence for them.
There may be financial implications for carers if children cease to be classed as ‘looked after’. However the validity of keeping children on supervision requirements purely to provide financial support to carers should be questioned: social work departments should consider alternative mechanisms for providing financial support to kinship carers in financial need.