Fostering
When you become a foster carer, we'll pay you a weekly allowance for each child you care for. This is based on the child's age and is to help cover the day-to-day costs of looking after a child. This may be things such as bills, food, clothes, travel, school dinners and pocket money. Please see the table below.
Weekly payments
These are the minimum weekly rates for 2024 to 2025 equivalent to the national minimum standard recommended by the Department of Education.
| Child or young person's age | Allowance |
| 0 - 2 years | £165 |
| 3 - 4 years | £170 |
| 5 - 10 years | £187 |
| 11 - 15 years | £213 |
| Over 16s | £248 |
Skills-based payment scheme
From 1 April 2024, we've increased our skill-based payments for all new and existing foster carers.
We'll reward your development as a foster carer with a skill based payment for each child you care for. This will be phased in over the next two years.
Our Payment for Skills Scheme operates with three levels. This is based on the knowledge, skills and experience that you bring to the fostering role.
Depending on the level of your fostering skills, you'll receive an additional weekly payment, set out below. The level you are at is based on your experience and stills. This will be discussed as part of your initial visit and fostering assessment. Your level with be approved by our agency decision maker following the Fostering Panel.
We'll also pay an additional specialist fee for children with disabilities or complex health and behavioural needs. This is subject to the criteria of need.
| Skill | 100% (First child) | 50% (Second child) | 25% (Third child) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | £130 | £65 | £32.50 |
| Level 2 | £200 | £100 | £50 |
| Level 3 | £375 | £187.50 | £93.75 |
Foster carer payment examples
A Level 1 foster carer with a foster child aged 3
Our foster carer would receive
- Foster carer fee of £130 per week
- Fostering allowance of £170 per week (including age-related fee)
- Total of £300 per week (4 weeks - £1200)
A Level 1 foster carer with two foster children aged 3 and 6
Our foster carer would receive
- Foster carer fee of £195 per week
- Fostering allowance of £357 per week (including age-related fee)
- Total of £414 per week (4 weeks - £2208)
A Level 2 foster carer with two foster children aged 5 and 10
Our foster carer would receive
- Foster carer fee of £300 per week
- Fostering allowance of £374 per week (including age-related fee)
- Total of £674 per week (4 weeks - £2696)
A Level 2 foster carer with three foster children aged 3, 5 and 8
Our foster carer would receive
- Foster carer fee of £350 per week
- Fostering allowance of £544 per week (including age-related fee)
- Total of £894 per week (4 weeks - £3576)
A Level 3 foster carer with one foster child aged 11
Our foster carer would receive
- Foster carer fee of £375 per week
- Fostering allowance of £213 per week (including age-related fee)
- Total of £588 per week (4 weeks - £2352)
A Level 3 foster carer with two children aged 7 and 12
Our foster carer would receive
- Foster carer fee of £562.50 per week
- Fostering allowance of £400 per week (including age-related fee)
- Total of £962.50 per week (4 weeks - £3850)
What our foster carers say
"I foster a little girl who needs specialist care. The extra payment I get on top of my weekly fostering allowance is great because it helps me to provide everything she needs."