All our foster carers receive a maintenance allowance to cover the daily costs of caring for a child. They also receive an allowance for training and a professional fee for each child placed in their care.
| Age | Fostering maintenance allowance (child) |
Training allowance (carer) |
Professional reward fee (carer) |
Total for professional carers (inclusive of all 3 elements) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | £195 | £75.17 | £143.15 | £413.32 |
| 5-10 | £217 | £68.57 | £143.15 | £428.72 |
| 11-15 | £248 | £103.54 | £143.15 | £494.69 |
| 16-17 | £289 | £103.31 | £143.15 | £535.46 |
The maintenance allowance is paid to all carers and covers the costs of caring for a child including food, clothing, transport, pocket money, hobbies and savings.
The training and placement allowance is paid to those carers who complete their own training, support and development portfolio to a high standard and have shown commitment to attend:
A placement retainer fee of £143.15 per week is paid for professional foster carers for 12 weeks if there is no child in placement. This payment is only available for professional foster carers who are available to foster a wide range of children. This is a payment for your services as a foster carer and if you are available for a child. Foster carers also get a payment for:
You may be caring for a child who is subject to a Care Order, meaning you become a foster carer even if the child is known to you and may be related to you. Friends and family foster carers receive special advice and support from a dedicated Permanence team and can attend the same training as other foster carers. The Permanence team will also help you to plan ahead for permanent arrangements for the child.