How much you'll get paid

When you become a foster carer, we'll pay you a weekly allowance, based on the child's age, to help cover the day-to-day costs of looking after a child, such as bills, food, clothes, travel, school dinners and pocket money.

Weekly payments

These are the minimum weekly rates for 2020 to 2021 equivalent to the national minimum standard recommended by the Department of Education.

Child or young person's age	Allowance
0 - 2 years	£132
3 - 4 years	£135
5 - 10 years	£149
11 - 15 years	£170
Over 16s	£198

Skills-based payment scheme

We'll reward your development as a foster carer through our Payment for Skills Scheme which operates with six levels based on the knowledge, skills and experience that you bring to the fostering role. 

Depending on the level of your fostering skills, you'll also receive an additional weekly payment, set out below. This is based both on your level of experience and skills. There will be a further age-related fee depending on the age and the needs of the child/children you care for.

Skill	Rate
Level 1	£100
Level 2	£150
Level 3	£360
Specialist fee	£360

* (payable to carers at lower levels who care for children under specific schemes)