Are foster carers paid?

As a foster carer you will receive a weekly allowance to cover the cost of caring for a child in your home. The allowance is based on the age of the child or young person and covers all food, clothing, pocket money, heating, utilities, telephone calls, entertainment, leisure, and other normal day to day expenses involved in caring for a child.

In addition to this, you will also receive a fostering fee. There are different levels of fee (known as tiers) which reflect the age of the child or young person in your care and also the increasing level of skill, experience and the training which you bring to the role.

The tables below shows the allowances and fees (correct as of January 2018).

Weekly payment related to age of child

Age of child (years)	Weekly payment
0-4	£141.73
5-10	£161.45
11-15	£200.99
16-17	£244.50

Weekly payment related to level of care

Carer Level	Weekly payment
Tier 1	£200
Tier 2	£230
Tier 3 (3+ years as a carer)	£300
Supplementary fee – moderately complex	£50*
Supplementary fee – highly complex	£100*
Supplementary fee – at risk of residential care	Decided on a case by case basis in exceptional cases*

In addition to this you will also receive a holiday allowance each year when you can receive two weeks holiday payment when you have no child in placement. You will also receive a birthday allowance and festival allowance paid per annum per child.

There are many ways you can progress as a professional foster carer and this can be discussed with you during your assessment.

Each year after a successful annual review, we celebrate your success with a £200 ‘thank you’.