Foster Carers Protest in Glasgow due to decade-long freeze on child allowances. - cost of living crisis

Scottish foster carers struggling to look after kids due to a decade-long freeze on child allowances.Scottish foster carers are struggling to cover the cost of raising children with many left 'unable to provide the level of care children need' due to the cost of living crisis.In Glasgow the city's foster care system has been described as 'in crisis' following a decade-long freeze on child allowances with many not seeing their income change in over 10 years.Experienced carers say they are being 'forced out' of the profession due to the underfunding.The Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has warned that the majority of carers in Glasgow face a 'difficult winter ahead' due to another year of real-terms cuts to their income and has called on Glasgow City Council to take emergency action.Carers submitted an official complaint to the council this July, after the Glasgow City Integration Joint Board (GCIJB) decided to implement smaller increases of between 6 and 8 percent for a minority of foster carers and kinship carers in the city (40%).The union has said that the majority of foster carers across Glasgow are facing a 28% real-terms cut to their child allowance incomes after the Glasgow City Integration Joint Board refused to implement a 10% increase voted through by the council in February’s budget.Figures show that 60% of Scotland's foster carers currently can't cover the full cost of raising a child on the allowance with many forced to leave the system for private agencies. They say they are being left unable to provide the level of care children need.Carers submitted an official complaint to the council in July and demonstrated in George Square today (Wednesday) to demand action. They are calling for the 10% child allowance increase voted through in February’s budget, an increase in the foster carer fees, which haven’t changed since 2009, an increase in fuel allowances and free school meals for foster children, council tax exemptions, and other support currently available for people on universal credit.A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: "While discussions remain ongoing between Scottish Government and COSLA around a national decision on fostering fees and allowances, Glasgow’s Integration Joint Board agreed in March to an increase to the kinship and foster carer allowances for the 40% of cases in Glasgow where they are currently paid below the proposed national allowance level.“This agreement was honoured and as a result payment to kinship and foster carers with children aged between 0-10 years has been made. Kinship and foster carers with children aged 0-4 years have had payments increase from £137.18 to £146 per week, and kinship and foster carers with children aged 5-10 years have had payments increase from £156.30 per week to £170 per week. This was released for payment on 17th May 2022 for foster carers and 17th June 2022 for kinship carers and was backdated to 28th March 2022.”