AQW 46530/11-15

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 01/06/2015
Answered On Date: 01/07/2015
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Employment and Learning how people providing formal Kinship Care are supported to remain in employment alongside their Kinship Care Agreement.

Answer:

Kinship carers who are employees, like all employees who have worked for their employer continuously for 26 weeks or more, are entitled to make a statutory request for flexible working. This statutory right was extended to all employees (including kinship carers), for the first time under the Work and Families Act (Northern Ireland) 2015.

Employers are required to consider statutory flexible working requests and are permitted to turn them down only where the needs of the business cannot accommodate them.

This may benefit those who wish to vary or reduce their working hours to better accommodate their caring responsibilities.

Family members looking after a child under 12 may also qualify for National Insurance credits that can top up their income in retirement, usually whilst the child’s parent (or main carer) is working.

DHSSPS have advised that all foster carers, including formal Kinship Carers, receive financial support from social services to help meet the costs associated with caring for foster children.