Foster carers
1. Becoming a foster carer
Anyone can apply to be a foster carer.
Contact your local council if you’re interested in fostering.
Fostering agencies
Some local councils use fostering agencies to get children into foster care, particularly children who might be hard to place. You can contact a fostering agency in your area directly.
What happens
The council or agency will collect information about you, including a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and a health check. Other household members over 18 will also be DBS checked.
You'll attend a group preparation session with other people who are applying.
Your suitability to foster will be assessed. This can take up to 6 months.
Your application will be sent to an independent fostering panel, which will recommend if you can become a foster carer.
Your fostering service will make the final decision.
2. Help with the cost of fostering
Foster carers get an allowance to cover the cost of caring for a child. The rate changes every April.
2013 to 2014 - minimum allowance rates
| Weekly rates | Babies | Pre-primary | Primary | 11 to 15 | 16 to 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | £135 | £138 | £148 | £174 | £205 |
| South East | £129 | £133 | £142 | £167 | £197 |
| Rest of the UK | £116 | £119 | £126 | £151 | £175 |
2014 to 2015 - minimum allowance rates
| Weekly rates | Babies | Pre-primary | Primary | 11 to 15 | 16 to 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | £137 | £140 | £157 | £178 | £209 |
| South East | £131 | £135 | £151 | £171 | £201 |
| Rest of the UK | £119 | £122 | £134 | £154 | £179 |
You could get more if:
- the child has specific needs
- you have certain skills
- you make a particularly large commitment to fostering
Tax-free earnings
Tax exemption
There’s a fixed tax exemption of up to £10,000 per year (less if for a shorter period) which is shared equally among any foster carers in the same household. This means you don’t have to pay tax on the first £10,000 income you make from fostering.
Tax relief
On top of the £10,000 exemption, you also get tax relief for every week (or part week) that a child is in your care. This means you don’t have to pay tax on some of your earnings over £10,000.
| Age of child | Tax relief |
|---|---|
| Under 11 | £200 per child |
| Over 11 | £250 per child |
Example
Laura is a foster carer for a 14-year-old for the whole of the year and for an 8-year-old for 10 weeks of the year. She doesn’t have to pay tax on the first £25,000 she earns:
Tax exemption = £10,000
+
Child 1 (52 x £250) = £13,000
+
Child 2 (10 x £200) = £2,000
Total = £25,000
Pensions
If you foster, you’ll be eligible for National Insurance credits, which counts towards your State Pension.
3. Training and support for foster carers
Foster carers are reviewed every year by the local council or fostering agency. They can provide training if needed.
A supervising social worker will visit you regularly to offer advice and support.
You don't have a statutory right to time off work to care for foster children.
Help and support with fostering
Call Fosterline (a helpline run by FosterTalk) for advice on anything to do with fostering.
Fosterline
0800 040 7675
Find out about call charges
What foster carers should know
The Training, Support and Development Standards set out what you should know and be able to do within the first 12 to 18 months of your time as a foster carer.
4. Types of foster care
Emergency
When children need somewhere safe to stay for a few nights.
Short-term
Carers look after children for a few weeks or months while plans are made for the child’s future.
Short breaks
When children who are disabled, have special needs or have behavioural difficulties regularly stay for a while with a family. This means their parents or usual foster carers can have a break.
Remand
When young people are remanded by a court to be looked after by a specially-trained foster carer.
Long-term
Not all children who need to permanently live away from their birth family want to be adopted, so instead they go into long-term foster care until they’re adults.
‘Family and friends’ or ‘kinship’
A child being cared for by the local council goes to live with someone they already know, usually a family member.
Contact your council for information about becoming a ‘family and friends' or 'kinship' carer.
Specialist therapeutic
For children and young people with very complex needs and/or challenging behaviour.
5. Claiming benefits while fostering
Being paid for fostering doesn’t affect the amount of benefit you get if the payments come from either:
- a local council
- a voluntary organisation
- a private organisation on behalf of the local council
Your benefits may be affected if the payments come from somewhere else. Speak to an adviser from the organisation that pays your benefit to find out more.
Benefits that may be affected
Jobseeker's Allowance
You must be available and actively looking for work (and meet the other criteria) to get Jobseeker’s Allowance.
You would usually have to work for at least 40 hours a week. However, you can put restrictions on when you’re available, as long as:
- you’re available to work for as many hours a week as your caring responsibilities allow (must be at least 16)
- you have reasonable prospects of securing employment
The restrictions can always be changed - speak to your adviser.
You must be available for 40 hours a week if you're waiting for a foster placement and have no children of your own.
Income support
You may be able to claim Income Support, but you’ll have to attend work-focused interviews every 6 months or 3 years depending on your situation (eg if you have your own children).
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
You may be able to claim Employment and Support Allowance, but you may have to attend work-focused interviews depending on your circumstances (eg if you’re a lone parent).
More information
Check a benefits calculator to see what benefits you’re eligible for.