Carers who took part in a study of kinship care in Scotland, told children and young people’s health and wellbeing charity Mentor they want more help.

Kinship carers want more help to look after the children they care for, according to new research.

A staggering 68 out of 75 carers, who took part in the Mentor study, said they have had difficulty in managing the behaviour of their child.

The charity held focus groups and one-to-one interviews with the carers – usually grandparents, aunts, uncles and family friends of children whose parents are not able to look after them – and found issues included children wetting the bed, not eating, stealing food, and having aggression, destruction and communication problems.

Only a tiny fraction of the carers said they had accessed information or training, with many adding they struggle with complex issues such as finance.

In fact, Mentor found there was a wide geographic difference in financial help given to carers, ranging from £40 per week for some to £286 for others.

The charity now plans to carry out further research to find new ways to support both kinship carers and the children in their care.

Heather McVeigh, Scotland director at Mentor, said: “Upon completion we will then produce a tool kit of evidence-based programmes which can be rolled out and delivered to kinship carers across the country.”