There is a special kind of love and commitment involved in being a foster carer. As a foster carer, you’ll be giving a child or young person a home when they can’t live with their birth families. There are different types of fostering, including emergency placements and planned breaks, but they all provide children with a safe place to live.
Is there a shortage of foster parents UK?
You’ll be paid an allowance and a fee to cover the costs of caring for a child or young person. The amount of the allowance varies by agency, but it usually averages around PS450 per week. You may also get one-off payments for birthdays and Christmas. You might also be eligible for discounts on leisure centre admissions and family-friendly events.
Many foster carer london choose to focus on a specific age group, such as babies or older children. Some will specialise in a certain type of fostering, such as sibling groups or trauma and loss. Some foster carers take on more than one young person at a time, and some even have groups of children who are close in age (for example, three or four siblings).
Some local authorities offer financial or other rewards to encourage people to become foster carers. For example, some will exempt you from council tax and provide expenses for travel related to your fostering duties. Other agencies may give you a start-up grant to help with the cost of furniture or equipment for your home.