Allowances

All approved foster carers should receive an allowance for the children that they care for. This allowance should cover all the costs of caring for the child such as food, clothing and providing a suitable home. However the allowance does not usually include a fee for your work as a foster carer although some fostering services give one payment which covers both. Please talk to your fostering service if you are unsure whether you receive a fee in addition to your allowance.

We feel that no foster carer should be left out of pocket by fostering a child and since 1975 we have set an recommended minimum allowance every year to show fostering services the minimum that should be paid to foster carers. We also periodically undertake a survey of the allowances paid by fostering services in the UK.

Members of the Fostering Network log in here for more information and resources on allowances, and access to peer to peer support in our online community.