Let’s talk

Fostering & money

Care matters.
So do the numbers.

Fostering has to work for your household. We’ll be open about payments, what they cover and the questions to ask before you commit.

Let’s talk about fostering No pressure. Just a conversation.
A man reviewing paperwork at a kitchen table
Time to understand the practicalities.

Our standard payments

Here’s where the conversation starts.

Weekly payments combine an allowance for the child’s care with a professional fee for your role.

A child aged 0–10

£479.50

per week, per child

Allowance + professional fee

A child aged 11+

£507.50

per week, per child

Allowance + professional fee

These payments apply while a child is placed with you. Different arrangements apply to specialist fostering.

01

The child’s everyday needs

The allowance helps cover the cost of looking after a child, including food, clothing, transport and everyday activities.

02

Recognition for your role

The professional fee recognises the time, skills and responsibility involved in being a foster carer.

03

A clearer household picture

We also offer a council tax contribution. Ask us how this and any other agreed support would apply to you.

Beyond standard fostering

Specialist care.
Individual arrangements.

Parent and child fostering has a published payment of £987 per week. This may be adjusted if the parent receives benefits, and the individual agreement confirms the arrangements.

Other specialist placements can involve different payments depending on the needs and care required. Ask us to explain the proposed package, what is included and any additional expenses.

Plan for the gaps too.

A placement is not guaranteed and there may be time between children living with you. It is sensible to discuss what that means for your household budget.

Before you make a decision

Useful questions to ask us.

The standard weekly payments shown here are paid while a child is placed with you. Ask us about your individual agreement and what happens between placements.

It depends on your availability and the child’s needs. We’ll discuss your hours, flexibility and caring responsibilities, alongside the financial picture.

Fostering has specific tax arrangements, and the effect on benefits depends on your circumstances. Use the current GOV.UK guidance for foster carers and get individual advice where needed. The weekly figures here are not a promise of take-home income.

A conversation, at your pace

No awkward questions.
Especially about money.

Tell us what you need to understand. We’ll talk through the figures and help you think about your own household.

  1. We’ll listen to what brings you here.
  2. We’ll answer your questions honestly.
  3. You decide what happens next.
Prefer to speak to us?023 8235 2020Ask us on WhatsApp ↗

Usually 15–20 minutes. No pressure to apply.

Having trouble with the form? Open it in a new tab ↗

frame.style.cssText = 'width:100%;height:900px;border:0;display:block;'; old.replaceWith(frame); return true; } if (!installForm()) { const observer = new MutationObserver(() => { if (installForm()) observer.disconnect(); }); observer.observe(document.documentElement, { childList: true, subtree: true }); setTimeout(() => observer.disconnect(), 15000); } })();