Children's Handbook Scotland 2025/26Chapter 6: Children who are 'looked after and accommodated' 2. When your child comes home
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2. When your child comes home
If your child comes back to live with you full time, you can claim benefits for them if you satisfy the normal rules (see Chapter 1).
This section provides information about what happens when a child is staying with you some of the time – eg, if they are starting to come home for a couple of days a week on a trial basis.
Child benefit
If your child is looked after and accommodated, you can get child benefit for any week they come home:1Reg 16(1)(b) CB Regs
    •for seven nights in a row; or
    •for any extra nights that follow immediately after the first seven; or
    •on a regular basis for at least two consecutive nights every week.
Example
Sofia has been looked after and accommodated for the past six months. She comes home on Thursday 11 September 2025 and stays with her mother until the following Thursday. Her mother is entitled to child benefit for the week beginning Monday 8 September 2025. If she stays at least one extra night, following straight after this first period, her mother is also entitled to child benefit for the week beginning Monday 15 September 2025.
You have to make a new claim for child benefit for any periods your child spends at home. It is worth claiming not just for the income you get but also for the national insurance credits it gives you. This helps protect your state retirement pension by helping you satisfy the contribution conditions.
If, when your child comes back to live with you, you expect it to be on a permanent basis, child benefit should start being paid as normal again (provided you make a claim). If your child is then looked after and accommodated again, you should get child benefit paid for a further eight weeks (see here).
 
1     Reg 16(1)(b) CB Regs »
Means-tested benefits
Universal credit
When your child comes home, your universal credit (UC) should be adjusted to include the child element. This should happen even if they are still looked after by the local authority.1Regs 4 and 4A UC Regs However, if the child is only coming home for short periods, your UC may not increase because of the way UC assessment periods work – eg, if they both come home and go back to foster carers or residential accommodation within the same assessment period, your UC will not increase in that assessment period.
 
1     Regs 4 and 4A UC Regs »
Pension credit
If you are entitled to a pension credit (PC) additional amount for your child, your PC should be adjusted to include this again when your child comes home, even if they are still ‘looked after’ by the local authority, provided you have parental responsibility for the child.1Sch 2A para 4(1) and (3)(b) SPC Regs
 
1     Sch 2A para 4(1) and (3)(b) SPC Regs »
Housing benefit
When your child comes home, your housing benefit (HB) should be adjusted to include their personal allowance and any premiums. If you have not been getting maximum HB, this may mean you are entitled to more benefit. The local authority can calculate your benefit as if they are at home for the whole week if it considers it is reasonable to do so, taking into account the nature and frequency of the child’s visits.1Reg 21(5) HB Regs; reg 21(5) HB(SPC) Regs The child should also be included in the size criteria. Also tell the local authority if your income changes.
If your HB has stopped and you need to make a new claim, you will probably need to claim UC instead (see here).
 
1     Reg 21(5) HB Regs; reg 21(5) HB(SPC) Regs »
Non-means-tested benefits
Disability benefits
If the payment of child disability payment (CDP) care component or adult disability payment (ADP) daily living component has stopped because your child is in residential accommodation (not foster care), it can be paid for days your child spends at home with you. The day they come home and the day they go back into local authority accommodation count as days at home.1Reg 19 DACYP(S) Regs; reg 31(2) DAWAP(S) Regs For example, if your child comes home on Friday evening and returns to local authority accommodation on Sunday evening, this counts as three days at home. The CDP care component/ADP daily living component is payable for these three days.
Tell Social Security Scotland (SSS) about any days your child spends at home.
If someone else has been made appointee for your child’s CDP, payments are not made to you. If your child starts to spend more time at home with you, it may be appropriate for you to start receiving CDP again. Contact SSS about this.
 
1     Reg 19 DACYP(S) Regs; reg 31(2) DAWAP(S) Regs  »
Carer support payment
You receive carer support payment (CSP) if you are caring for a disabled person for at least 35 hours a week. The disabled person must be in receipt of CDP care component at the middle or highest rate or ADP daily living component (or attendance allowance/pension age disability payment). If your child is disabled and is entitled to the CDP care component at the middle or highest rate or ADP daily living component, you may be able to get CSP if your child starts coming home for short spells (and CDP care component/ADP daily living component is payable). Provided your child gets the appropriate disability benefit and you can show that you are caring for your child at least 35 hours a week (Sunday to Saturday) while they are at home, you should be able to get CSP. The time does not have to be spread across the whole week. Time spent preparing for their visit and clearing up afterwards can count towards the 35 hours.1CG/006/1990 Even if someone else is currently the appointee for the child’s CDP you can still claim CSP, provided you satisfy the rules.
Example
Ibrahim is aged seven and has been looked after and accommodated in a residential unit for the past nine months. He has a disability and is entitled to the CDP care component at the highest rate. He has recently started going home to his parents’ house every weekend. He goes on Friday at 10am and leaves on Monday at 11am. CDP care component is payable for Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. His mother spends almost all of the time he is at home caring for him. She also spends at least two hours before he arrives preparing, and another three hours clearing up once he has left on Monday. Ibrahim’s mother claims CSP. She must show that in the course of a week (Sunday to Saturday), she spends at least 35 hours caring for Ibrahim. She should be entitled to CSP.
If you become entitled to CSP, any means-tested benefits (income-related ESA, PC, and HB) you receive should include the carer premium or carer addition. If you get UC, it should include the carer element once you have ‘regular and substantial’ caring responsibilities for your child again (see here).2Regs 29 and 30 UC Regs
If someone else is claiming carer support payment
Only one person can get CSP in respect of a particular disabled person.3Reg 5(3) CA(CSP)(S) Regs If there is more than one person who could be entitled (eg, you and your child’s foster carer), you can agree who will claim. If agreement is not possible, SSS decides.4Reg 24(4)(b) and (6) CA(CSP)(S) Regs
 
1     CG/006/1990 »
2     Regs 29 and 30 UC Regs »
3     Reg 5(3) CA(CSP)(S) Regs »
4     Reg 24(4)(b) and (6) CA(CSP)(S) Regs »