Allowances
Trips organised by schools or exceptional holiday grants
We may pay a grant towards the cost of one exceptional holiday or one educational holiday. The payment is to cover the cost of the trip up to a maximum of £300 per child.
As this is an additional payment for an exceptional holiday, it is unlikely to be paid in successive years. The fostering team manager must agree to the payment.
Family time
Foster carers are often best placed to help a child manage time with their family. This allowance includes an element of the costs incurred related to family time. There may be family time with birth relatives up to three times a week.
Family time may take place in your home. It will not normally take place in your home after 7pm or at weekends.
We will pay a disruption rate of £2.50 per hour if:
- the care plan requires family time to take place in the home after 7pm or at weekends, and
- the timing is not at the foster carer’s convenience
To claim this allowance, you will need to log and confirm this with your child’s social worker and SSW at the time of placement.
We will pay you a disruption or expenses rate of £4 per hour if:
- you are responsible for taking children to family time away from your home, and
- it is not practicable to return home during family time
This figure includes all parking costs, food purchased and other incidental items.
Meetings
Being a foster carer will involve you attending a variety of meetings such as:
- statutory looked after reviews to review and consider the child's care plan
- medicals for the child
- planning meetings
- child protection conferences
- specialist input (education, psychologist, medical) relating to the child
We will pay mileage for attending these meetings.
Transport
We have agreed we reimburse foster carers at 45p per mile. In line with HMRC rules, we will pay mileage over 10,000 miles at 25p per mile.
You must submit claims for agreed mileage monthly. To ensure you are paid on time, claims must be submitted by the fourth day of the following month. Any mileage to be paid in excess of a three month period is at the discretion of the fostering team manager.
People carriers
Occasionally, we may provide a people carrier on loan for a short period. We will consider requests on an individual basis. The fostering team manager must agree to the loan. We have a small capital budget, which may enable us to contribute towards the purchase of a people carrier for foster carers able to look after larger sibling groups.
Telephone costs
Costs arising from helping the child keep in touch with their family should be met through the normal allowance payments. This includes a reasonable top-up or contract payments for mobile phones.
Laundry costs
A child may occasionally wet the bed. Any laundry costs arising from this are included in the allowance.
If you are caring for a large group of siblings (three or more), additional support is available. You should discuss this with your SSW. You should provide any specific examples where additional costs are incurred.
Hospitality during introductions
We pay £5 per person per day where a foster carer provides hospitality for a family during an adoption introduction.
Out of hours payments
We will pay £80 if mainstream foster carers agree to take placement via the emergency duty team out of normal office hours.
In recognition of the disruption and preparation that may have taken place, we will make this payment regardless of whether the child is actually placed.
It will not be paid if the foster carers:
- decline the placement
- have been specifically recruited for the emergency scheme
Playgroup and nursery fees
Decisions about pre-school attendance will be made at the placement planning meeting or subsequent reviews. Children in care are entitled to receive free pre-school placements after their second birthdays. This will require discussion with the education provider.
We will pay playgroup fees up to £25 per week. The fees must be agreed as being required as part of the child’s care plan. Meals provided at nursery should be funded from the weekly fostering allowance.
After school activities
The first activity should be funded for from the weekly fostering allowance.
For additional activities, we will fund up to £25 per week for one additional activity. The activity must have been agreed as being required as part of the child’s care plan.
Day care
Sometimes a carer’s friends or family members who have been checked and approved will provide care for all or part of a day. The rates paid will be hourly based on the age-appropriate fostering allowance. This is to provide a consistent approach and is irrespective of whether the provider is a carer or not.
For any carer providing day care to a child excluded from school, we will pay:
- £50 per day
- £25 per half day (up to 4.5 hours)
This additional payment is intended for educational activities with the young person concerned. Details of the activities should be discussed and reviewed by the child's social worker and SSW. The fostering team manager will review this after 28 days.
Any care arrangement in excess of this will be considered a respite arrangement. It will attract the pro rata daily rate applicable to the child.
Educational support
We are committed to raising the educational attainment of children in care.
To assist school children, we offer a grant to purchase study guides:
- Key Stage 2 or any junior school aged child - up to £20
- Key Stage 4 - up to £50
These guides are usually cheaper when purchased via schools. Children in care will also be offered learning opportunities. This is via the children in care children school team.