Pay and the different types of foster care – Once approved, you’ll receive foster care pay (known as a fostering allowance) in the region of £24,500 a year. For almost all foster carers, this will be tax free, making it the salary-equivalent of a £30,000 role before tax.
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Do you get paid to foster in the UK?
All foster parents receive a foster care allowance to cover the cost of caring for a child. The minimum is usually between £154 and £270 a week. The total amount you get depends on:
where you live which fostering service you use the child’s age if the child has specific needs your skills and experience
The fostering service you apply to will tell you how much you can get. There’s more information about financial help in the guide for foster parents,
Can I work full time and foster UK?
Yes – but, before starting your fostering journey, it is vital you understand the commitment and dedication this role needs. The children that will be in your care need your utmost love and attention, so whilst it can be possible to work and foster, most of our foster carers dedicate all their time to fostering.
How long do children stay in foster care UK?
18 Years Old In some cases, the young person can stay with their foster family until the age of 21, or 25 if they are in an educational or training programme. This scheme, called ‘Staying Put’ in the UK, or ‘When I Am Ready’ in Wales, helps the young person develop the skills they need to transition into adulthood.
How does foster care work UK?
If you foster a child, the legal rights of that child remain with the local authority, whereas adopting a child gives you all legal rights. Another main difference is that as a long-term foster parent, you continue to receive a financial allowance for as long as the child is with you.
Is there a shortage of foster parents in the UK?
Image source, Getty Images Image caption, There are more than 9,000 children in care across Yorkshire and Humberside Rising costs and the fallout from Covid have led to more children going into care and a shortage of foster families. There are more than 9,000 children in care across Yorkshire and Humberside, 4,500 in West Yorkshire alone.
- Latest government figures show the number of children in care in Yorkshire and the Humber has risen from 8,190 in 2018 to 9,300 in 2022.
- Leeds City Council has around 750 foster families but figures show these numbers are declining nationally.
- Image caption, Fiona Venner, from Leeds City Council, said more foster carers were desperately needed Councillor Fiona Venner, executive member for adult and children’s social care for Leeds City Council, said: “The fallout of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis are contributing to more children coming into care.
We desperately need more foster carers.” Councils sometimes use agencies to find foster families but those organisations report that the fostering environment has become more challenging.
How many foster families are needed in the UK?
Today, nearly 70,000 children are living with almost 55,000 foster families. The Fostering Network estimates that a further 7,200 foster families are needed in the next 12 months alone, in order to ensure all fostered children can live with the right family for them.
Foster care provides children with a safe, secure and nurturing family environment, and allows them to keep in contact with their own families if they wish and if it is in their best interests. With record numbers of children in care and around 12 per cent of the foster carer workforce retiring or leaving every year, The Fostering Network estimates that fostering services across the UK need to recruit at least a further 7,200 foster families in the next 12 months alone.
There is a particular need for foster carers to look after teenagers and sibling groups. Fostering services work all year round to find and recruit the foster carers they need locally to look after these children. Without enough foster families willing and able to offer homes to these groups, some children will find themselves living a long way from family, school, and friends, being split up from brothers and sisters, or being placed with a foster carer who does not have the ideal skills and experience to meet their specific needs.