Information on Fostering Allowances (Part 1)
Very few if any go into fostering for the financial reward. However, the financial arrangements made for children in foster care should be made clear to you. The information below is for general guidance only and you should ask your support worker for this information should you choose to apply to become a foster carer.
All foster carers are paid allowances for the young people they look after. Each fostering agency pay these allowances but they will not all be organised in the same way, or be for the same amounts. Below is a schedule of the more usual allowances that are payable to foster carers. You should check with your agency for further details of the allowances that they actually pay.
From April, 2007 the government has introduced national minimum fostering allowances. These are detailed below.
As a foster carer you should always ensure that any expenses you incur are agreed in advance by the child's social worker or your support worker. You must always try to remember that they are accountable for the money that is being spent upon each child. Regrettably we sometimes come across disagreements that in nearly every case could have been avoided by gaining the agencies agreement to any expenditure in advance.
Fostering allowances
This allowance is paid on a regular basis and is intended to reflect the true cost of keeping a young person. Some foster carers are paid an additional allowance on top of this in order to meet a specific child's needs.
Birthday Allowances
Most agencies will provide additional money several weeks prior to the young persons birthday to cover the costs involved. Many see this as simply money for presents but you should bear in mind that it could be used to cover the catering costs of a party or towards the travel costs involved in any special trip you might want to arrange. The decision upon how this money is spent is usually left to the foster carer. It is quite usual for the amount of this allowance to be equivalent to one weeks fostering allowance.
Religious Festival Allowances
Many agencies will provide additional money several weeks prior to the religious festival to cover the costs involved. The decision upon how this money is spent is usually left to the foster carer. It is quite usual for the amount of this allowance to be equivalent to one weeks fostering allowance.
Holiday Allowances
Many agencies will provide additional money several weeks prior to the summer school holidays to cover the costs involved. The decision upon how this money is spent is usually left to the foster carer. It is quite usual for the amount of this allowance to be equivalent to two weeks fostering allowance.
National Minimum Fostering Allowances from April, 2008:
Agencies pay their foster carers at least the minimum recommended rates (below) while some others pay more. You should consult your fostering agency for details as rates vary so widely.
Age |
Base Rate |
South East |
London |
Babies |
£103 |
£114 |
£119 |
Pre-Primary |
£105 |
£117 |
£122 |
Primary |
£116 |
£130 |
£136 |
11-15 |
£133 |
£148 |
£154 |
16-17 |
£155 |
£174 |
£181 |
