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Our allowances are generous and highly competitive, paid weekly, per child you have in your care.
Our allowances average around £300 per week, per child in your care. Although they can often be much higher than this, particularly if you’re caring for children with additional or very specific/ more challenging needs. You may also receive a higher allowance if you have gained high level skills and experience for example.
Unlike most Independent Fostering Agencies, we also provide lots of extras including mileage payments and all the equipment you will need to care for a child, including beds, bedroom furniture, safety equipment, car seats and prams.
We also provide holiday allowances to help you to pay for trips away or extra days out during the school holidays, and additional payments to help contribute towards Christmas or other festivals.
Each Local Authority has slightly different payment structures, which have been developed based on the needs of the individual areas.
Please request an information pack for the Local Authority you’d like to become a foster carer for, to receive their full payment guide.
As a foster carer, you will need to register as self-employed. It’s a very simple process. You will be provided with full training and guidance about all things finance-related during your assessment, so please don’t worry!
As a guide, there are a few key elements that may help you to decide if fostering is accessible to you:
You do not usually pay tax on fostering allowances, up to a certain high threshold. More information regarding this can be found on the Fostering Network website: https://www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/advice-information/finances/tax-and-national-insurance
As fostering allowances are not usually classed as income for benefit purposes, fostering does not usually affect any benefits you may already claim. There may also be additional ways you can bolster your income as a foster carer. Dependant on your individual financial circumstances, you may also be able to claim Working Tax Credits, Universal Credit or Income Support. The below links provide some useful information:
https://www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/advice-information/finances/claiming-benefits
https://www.gov.uk/working-tax-credit
