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Parent-and-child fostering: the highest-paying type, honestly explained
Parent-and-child fostering means caring for a parent - often young or otherwise vulnerable - alongside their baby or young child, usually while a court decides whether that parent can safely care for their child independently. It's widely understood in the sector to carry the highest fees of any mainstream fostering type, but the demands it asks of a carer are genuinely different, and heavier, than the pay alone suggests.
Written by Sam Allcock · Last updated 24 August 2026 · Last reviewed 24 August 2026
What the role actually involves
Rather than caring for a child alone, you provide a home for a parent and their baby or young child together, and you support and quietly model everyday parenting - feeding, routine, safety, responding to the baby's needs - while the parent lives alongside you. A significant part of the job is observation and written reporting: keeping clear, factual, dated records of what you see, which are shared with the parent's social worker and can be used as evidence in the court proceedings deciding the child's future. It's a genuinely different skill set from caring for a child alone, closer to a supportive professional role than to parenting in the usual sense.
How it compares to the other main types
| Type | Typical length | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Parent-and-child | Weeks to months | Supporting and assessing a parent's capacity to care, alongside their baby or child |
| Short-term | Weeks to around two years | Caring for a child while their long-term plan is decided |
| Fostering for adoption | Weeks to months, then permanent if confirmed | Early, continuous care for a child likely to be adopted |
| Emergency | Hours to a few days, unplanned | Immediate, safe care when a child needs removing with no notice |
Why it pays more, and what "more" actually means
Parent-and-child placements typically carry an enhanced professional fee on top of the standard allowance for the child, reflecting the additional assessment and reporting responsibility and the intensity of having two people, not one, living in your home under formal supervision. A real published example, from Bromley Council's fostering fee schedule, shows a maintenance allowance of £299/week for the young person plus a professional fee of £514.94/week (made up of a £258.27 base fee, a further £206.66 element, and a £50 enhanced-rate addition), totalling £813.94/week. [Bromley Council, fostering allowance rates]
This is not a salary, and rates vary widely. The figure above is one council's published schedule, not a national rate - every local authority and agency sets its own parent-and-child fees, and where the parent is over 18 their own benefit entitlement can factor into what's paid to the carer. Fostering income of any kind stops between placements, carries no sick pay, holiday pay or pension, and always needs confirming in writing with the specific service before you rely on a figure. See our full allowance guide for the National Minimum Allowance bands this sits on top of.
The demands that don't show up in the fee
This is genuinely one of the most emotionally difficult types of fostering. You're living closely with an adult under assessment, not just a child, which can create real tension in your own home - and if the assessment concludes the parent cannot safely care for their child independently, the child may be removed from the parent's care while the placement ends, an outcome carers need to be prepared for honestly rather than assuming every placement resolves happily. Training for this route typically goes beyond the standard preparation course, reflecting how different the day-to-day reality is from caring for a child alone.
Is this the right type for you?
Parent-and-child fostering tends to suit carers with existing experience - either professional (health visiting, midwifery, social work, teaching) or as an experienced foster carer already approved for standard placements - though every service sets its own criteria and some approve carers for this route as their first type. If you're weighing it up, our guide to becoming a foster carer covers the general assessment process, and it's worth raising this specific route directly and early with any local authority or agency you're considering, since not every service offers it.
Frequently asked questions
Why does parent-and-child fostering pay more?
It typically carries an enhanced professional fee on top of the standard allowance, because the role includes formal observation, written reporting and evidence-gathering that feeds directly into a court's decision about the child's future, alongside caring for both the parent and the baby or child day to day - a materially wider skill set than standard fostering.
What does the carer actually do in a parent-and-child placement?
You provide a home for the parent and child together, model everyday parenting skills, and keep detailed, factual written records of what you observe - feeding, routines, safety, the parent's engagement and progress. Those records are shared with social workers and can be used as evidence in care proceedings.
Can the placement end with the baby being removed from the parent?
Yes, and this is one of the hardest parts of the role. If the assessment concludes the parent cannot safely care for their child independently, the child may be moved to a different placement while the parent leaves - something carers need to be prepared for honestly before taking on this type of fostering.