Wiltshire Council has launched a campaign to target people looking after someone else’s child as they could be entitled to regular financial payments.

Eligible carers can receive a non-means-tested weekly allowance of between £176 and £267, depending on the child’s age. The payments are available through the Kinship Zones pilot, which Wiltshire is delivering as one of seven local authorities selected by the Department for Education.

Kinship carers can include grandparents, aunts, uncles, adult siblings, other relatives and close family friends who care for a child because their parents cannot. Some may not think of themselves as kinship carers or know that payments could be available to them.

One carer who applied following advice from their child’s headteacher described what support meant to her family:

“Following advice from the headteacher at my grandson’s school, I recently applied for the kinship allowance pilot scheme. Today I just received notification of a payment for £700. I am sure to the person reading this email, their team and the head of my grandson’s school, that the advice shared and support in applying would be viewed as ‘just part of their job’. However, I want to share what this means to myself and my beautiful little boy. For the time being I will no longer have to say ‘No sorry, Nanny hasn’t got any pennies today’ when he asks for a £3 ice cream or be reluctant to put fuel in the car and take him to the beach for the day. This payment will literally change our lives and make every day struggles, that bit easier.”

Nicole Mills, Director of Families and Children, said: “Family members and friends who take on the care of a child can face costs they had not planned for. These payments can help with the everyday costs of bringing up a child, as this carer’s experience shows.

“You may think of yourself as a grandparent, relative or friend looking after a child rather than a kinship carer. Please do not assume that means the payments are not for you.

“Our webpage explains who may qualify and how much they could receive. You can also contact our kinship team if you are unsure whether you are eligible.”

People may qualify if they care for a child full time and have a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) or a ‘lives with’ Child Arrangements Order (CAO) for a child who would otherwise be in care.

Some people who have applied for one of these orders may also be eligible, depending on how far their court proceedings have progressed. People without a legal order can contact the kinship team for advice.

The council’s Kinship allowance payments webpage explains the eligibility criteria, weekly payment amounts and how to find out more. It also includes information for people who already receive an SGO allowance or whose allowance has previously ended.

People do not need to be sure they qualify or already be known to the council before getting in touch.

Find out more about kinship allowance payments at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/kinship-allowance-payments, email kinshipduty@wiltshire.gov.uk or call 0300 456 0108.