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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 (for the child)		 Training
allowance (for the foster carer)		 Professional
reward fee (for the foster carer)		 Total allowance for
professional foster carers (inclusive of all 3 elements)
 0-4  £196  £75.92  £144.58  £415.07
 5-10  £220  £69.25  £144.58  £432.40
 11-15  £252  £104.58  £144.58  £499.73
 16-17  £294  £104.34  £144.58  £541.49
  • A professional reward fee of £144.58 per week for second and subsequent children. 
  • Foster carers are able to request a retainer of £144.58 per week at the end of the placement, when there are no children waiting for a placement who are within their approval range, and no other children in their home. This retainer lasts for a maximum of 12 weeks.
  • The total specialist foster carer rate is from £779.93 up to £895.76 per week with a retainer of £455 per week for the first 4 weeks when there is no child living with you.
  • £5 is automatically deducted from the allowance for the young person’s savings plan.

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:

  • the required number of training courses
  • the induction group 
  • monthly foster carers support groups. 

Placement retainer

A placement retainer fee of £144.58 per week is paid for professional foster carers for a maximum of 12 weeks, when there are no children waiting for a placement who are within their approval range, and no other children in their home. 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: 

  • the child’s birthday 
  • a religious holiday celebrated by the child
  • a holiday for the child, including for summer holiday outings and towards school trips.

Friends and family foster carers

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.