Spare room subsidy and Foster Carers/ Carers paid Special Guardianship Orders (SGO)

I am reading CPAG page 447 under the size criteria it says that you are allowed an additional bedroom if you are a foster carer or kinship carer and that this only applies if the child has been placed with you in the last year or is now placed with you

I have 3 questions 1. Why only if placed now or within the last 52 weeks and not for all foster parents ? Is there significance why long term foster parents are excluded? Or does it mean that the subsidy would only be allowed for up to a year?

                  2. I am never sure what is meant by Kinship Carers as I believe it is only a Scottish term , my question is where does it leave carers who are paid SGO either because they agreed to switch from Foster carer to SGO status or, because they were assessed for that status only (often because he children are somehow related but not always )
If they are not included is there any bmileage in trying to get them included ?

(I am aware that carers in receipt of SGO can receive child benefit and child tax credit but as they are often distantly related there are very often the same issues as for Foster children to be able to have their own space in a new family)

                3. And that is showing my limited legal knowledge, could somebody send a link to the Regs or schedule that contains tne legislation of question 1 above?

As always thank you very much for help and views

Apologies if anybody was looking for answer,

I found HB circular A10/2013 which explains why SGO status is not included and it alsoexplains the relevance of the 52 weeks

I still wonder though about the recognition that the status/issues of the children could be similar to those of foster carers , regardless of the fact that they are already seen as part of the household ?

Thank you

Hi,

Just a quick reply to the first point- long term foster carers are included. You have to be an approved foster carer and have a child placed with you to be allowed an additional bedroom.

If you are not currently fostering, you get grace for 52 weeks from the last time you fostered, or if you are newly approved, you get up to 52 weeks grace without a placement.

Lee