Recommendation 15

We have seen many cases of the potential for better outcomes and potential savings being blocked by inflexibility in the care system. These typically involve the costs of the space required to provide kinship or foster care, or support with the changes to working patterns that providing such care might require. The system can be complex, particularly where multiple organisations and different local authority areas are involved.42 Further, the Care Review highlights the financial challenges faced by kinship carers, many of whom ‘live in more deprived areas and are generally poorer than foster carers. Some studies report that financial distress is reported by 70% of kinship carers, and in one study 39% of kinship carers reported being in debt.’43