Fostering Remuneration and Allowance Scheme

London Borough of Sutton

1. Introduction

1.1 The London Borough of Sutton has a scheme for the remuneration of foster carers.

1.2 The overall purpose of the scheme is to:

  • Ensure that the remuneration scheme is as fair and equitable as possible
  • Ensure that foster carers have adequate reward in relation to their levels of skills and experience

1.3 The scheme subscribes to the principle that foster carers are working and that part of the remuneration is specifically for them. The scheme allocates part of the remuneration as an allowance, which will be adequate to meet the needs of a child in placement.

1.4 At the same time, the scheme is intended to acknowledge that fostering is a unique situation where looked after children are living as part of a family. Fostering does not have the same attributes as other working situations.

1.5 The level of allowance is based on the recommended rates from the Fostering Network for carers outside London. London Borough of Sutton has decided not to use a 16-17 age group, but to set the allowance level of 11-17 and to pay an allowance. Our experience is not that the costs associated with 16 and 17 year olds are higher than those for 11-15 year olds. The rate is set at the midway point between the recommended rate for these age groups.

2. Allowances

2.1 The fostering allowance element should pay for the expenses associated with caring for the child or young person.

2.2 This includes:

  • food,
  • clothing,
  • luggage,
  • pocket money,
  • local fares and local transport costs,
  • heating and other utilities
  • toiletries
  • personal care needs,
  • UK telephone calls to mobiles and landlines,
  • holidays,
  • entertainment
  • other normal day to day expenses involved in caring for any child.

2.3 The level of allowance is different depending on age. There are three age groups:

  • 0-4
  • 5-10
  • 11-17.

3. Dates of Payment

3.1 Allowances and Fees will be paid inclusive of the day that a child arrives in placement and the day that they leave placement.

4. Christmas and Birthdays

4.1 Christmas and birthday allowances will be paid for each child in placement. The allowance will be one week’s allowance for the age of the child, not including any element of fee. If the child or foster family are members of a different religion and wish to have the additional payment made at a different time of year, this will be arranged. It is expected that all of these allowances will be spent directly on the child.

5. Holidays

5.1 There are no additional payments for holidays. There may be exceptional payments available if trips are planned for children to visit their country of origin. The level of payment in these circumstances will be not more than half of the cost of the trip.

6. Clothing

6.1 An initial payment for clothing of £100.00 will be paid on placement if the child has no clothing or only very minimal clothing. This is for placements of more than one week.

6.2 A school uniform grant will be paid when a child starts at a new school. The grant will be for up to £100.00 for a primary school age child and up to £200.00 for a secondary school age child. Agreement for uniforms needs to be made in advance with the Team Manager, Fostering.

6.3 The expectation for the minimum amount of clothing that each child will have is set out in the Foster Carer’s Handbook. It is expected that each child will have at least this amount of good quality clothing, which fits.

6.4 Each child should have sufficient luggage to carry their belongings. Supervising social workers will check that there is sufficient clothing and luggage available.

6.5 We will pay up to £150 per year towards spectacles for any looked after child. Any request for a young person to have contact lenses will be considered on an individual basis but will take account of the child’s age and their ability to continue to fund these after their 18th birthday.

7. Equipment

7.1 On approval, foster carers will be provided with sufficient good quality equipment appropriate to the age for which they are approved. There will be a setting up grant of £500 to enable the purchaseof items such as

  • cot
  • bunk beds
  • bedroom furniture

7.2 Certain items may be provided for specific children. Examples of such equipment are:

  • car seats
  • buggies

These will be agreed on a case by case basis.

7.3 Where a child moves, consideration should be given as to whether it is appropriate that the equipment moves with him or her. If the equipment, or items such as bedding, does move with the child, this will be replaced.

7.4The Team Manager, Fostering is authorised to agree equipment up to the value of £500.

7.5 Foster carers will generally be expected to replace equipment as required from their allowance. If there is exceptional wear and tear on equipment, this should be reviewed at the foster carer’s annual review and an additional grant can be made at the discretion of the Team Manager.

7.6 If equipment is destroyed or damaged by a child or young person in placement, the foster carer will be expected to claim on their household insurance. The department will reimburse the carer any excess payment due on their insurance policy.

8 Extra curricular Activities

8.1 It is important that looked after children are able to benefit from a range of activities. Some of these can be met through the foster care allowance, which has provision for activities.

8.2 Day school trips should be paid for out of the allowance for each child. Residential school trips may require additional funding up to a maximum of £250 per child. There will be alimit of one residential school trip per school year for each child.

8.3 If a child attends an activity costing more than £10 per week, then Children and Families Department will pay for the excess. There will be a limit of one activity per week per child. If there is a particular piece of equipment needed, then this can also be considered. Such requests need to be considered on a case-by-case basis. Factors such as the amount of commitment that a child has demonstrated need to be taken into account. The activity should also be related to the needs of the child. It may be necessary to consider issues of fair access to all children within the household, so that there is perceived fairness.

8.4 Requests for additional tutorial support will need to be referred to the Educational Adviser for Looked After Children and can be considered out of a child’s Personal Education Allowance of £500 per year.

8.5 Where a child attends a holiday playscheme, this will generally be the responsibility of the foster carer. Any request for payment of playschemes due to exceptional circumstances can be considered by the Service Manager for Adoption and Fostering.

8.6 Any request to pay for nursery places or playgroups would be treated as an exceptional circumstance based on the individual needs of the child. Such an arrangement would require the agreement of the Children and Families Panel.

8.7 For journeys over 20 miles associated with the needs of the child, foster carers will be reimbursed for petrol costs.

9. Pocket Money

9.1 There are no firm recommendations about the level of pocket money children in foster care should receive. Each foster carer may have different ways of addressing this issue. It will be important to bear in mind the different amounts that foster carers’ own children receive. It is also important to bear in mind the amount of money that birth parents have been able to afford, particularly if the plan is for the child to return home. Nevertheless, all children over the age of 5 should be given some weekly pocket money to spend how they choose.

9.2 Issues of pocket money should be discussed at the Placement Agreement meeting and at subsequent Child Care Reviews. It should not be left to the child to discuss this issue.

9.3 No foster carer should take out a mobile phone contract in respect of any looked after child in their care. There is no requirement that all looked after children should have a mobile phone. This is at the discretion of the foster carer. Carers may provide a looked after child with a “pay as you go” mobile package if they wish- this may be as part of a birthday or Christmas gift.

9.4Top up payments for mobile phones should be provided by the foster carer at an amount that they feel reasonable, depending on the age of the child. As with pocket money, there are no firm recommendations about this and carers will want to take into account any agreements with any birth children in the family. The exception to this is when a young person is on the 16+ independence allowance scheme where young people themselves should provide top ups to mobile phones (See information in Foster Carer Handbook).

10. Savings

10.1 Foster carers and social workers should encourage all children to save regularly. The Savings Scheme that was previously organised by the London Borough of Sutton is no longer accepting new members. The Foster carer and the social worker should decide who would help the foster child to open an account. The foster carer should not open an account in their name.

10.2 All children born after 1st September 2002 are eligible for a Child Trust Fund. They will have £100 paid into this for each year they are looked after. Rather then open a separate account, carers can add to this fund for children in their care up to the maximum of £1200 per year.

11. Preparation for Independence

11.1 It is important that young people are given as much experience as possible in managing finances before moving to independence.

11.2 It is important to remember that young people will need to manage on a limited income when they live independently. A balance needs to be struck between spending adequately as for any young person in care and not allowing them to build up unrealistic expectations. Children of all ages should be encouraged to develop age appropriate skills in managing money.

11.3 Young people over the age of 16 will receive £40 of the allowance directly.

Guidance is provided in the Foster Carer’s Handbook on what this money should cover and what agreements are needed concerning this.

11.4 Once a young person is 17, we will pay for 6 driving lessons. This is in recognition that being able to drive increases life skills and job opportunities and is given on condition that the foster carers will also contribute towards further lessons.

12. Fees

12.1 Fees are paid to foster carers depending on their level of skills and experience.

12.2 Fees are income for the foster carer.

12.3 Fees are payable to one foster carer only in any household.

12.4 There four levels of fee set out in Table 1:

Table 1

Level / Definition
Level 1 / Carers where children have been placed with members of the child’s friends and family network where the carer has not been approved as a foster carer.
Level 2 / Carers who have been approved through the Fostering Panel AND have completed the Preparation Training.
Level 3 / Carers who have completed the CWDC Training pack, or completed thirty hours of training in the past year AND have achieved or maintained their experience of fostering.
Level 4 / Foster carers who have been approved for a minimum of 2 years AND who are offering additional skills and tasks to the Fostering service AND have maintained their training at the minimum of thirty hours in the past year.

12.5 The levels of fees are designed to give incentive to foster carers to increase their level of skills and experience.

12.6 There is no defined limit on the numbers of carers at any level.

13. Level 1

13.1 Carers at Level 1 are those where a placement is made, generally under Regulation 38 of the Fostering Regulations, with a person who is known to the child. Children are placed under Regulation 38 because of the existing relationship that they have with the adult(s). Such carers will not have had to undergo any training or preparation at the point of placement.

13.2 The carer in this case has not been approved by the Fostering Panel.

13.3 The level of allowance is age related as with all foster carers.

13.4 Where the placement is ongoing, carers will be assessed and will be offered preparation training in the same way as any new applicant.

13.5 They will have exactly the same opportunities to achieve higher levels as any other foster carer approved by London Borough of Sutton.

14. Level 2

14.1 Level 2 fees will be paid to carers who have successfully completed the preparation training and who have been approved as foster carers by London Borough of Sutton following presentation of their assessment to the Fostering Panel.

15. Level 3

15.1 To attain Level 3, a Level 2 foster carer will need to achieve the following:

  1. To complete the CWDC Workbook.
  2. Where there are two approved foster carers in the household, the principal foster carer will be expected to achieve the above. The second foster carer will have to achieve identified modules in the CWDC Workbook.
  3. To have gained sufficient experience in fostering. The level of experience required will be to have provided foster care for at least six months. Where the foster carer(s) have been approved specifically for short breaks, they will be required to have provided at least 20 nights.

15.2 The decision about whether to recommend that the foster carer moves to Level 3 will be taken at the initial foster care review meeting.

15.3 The recommendation will be presented to the Fostering Panel.

15.4 Where the decision is ratified by the Fostering Panel, the increase in fee will be back-dated to the date of the review meeting.

15.5 To maintain Level 3, the foster carer will be expected to:

  1. Continue to achieve thirty hours of ongoing training or professional development
  2. Where there is a secondary carer, this carer will be expected to maintain their Core Mandatory Training as agreed at the foster carer review
  3. Continue to be available for placements as agreed through their approval. Any period of unavailability may be agreed with the Supervising Social Worker.
  4. Continue to maintain a high standard of care to children placed

15.6 The level will be reviewed annually at the foster carer review.

16. Level 4

16.1 To attain Level 4, a foster carer will be required to:

  1. Have been a Level 3 foster carer for at least one year
  2. Have maintained their thirty hours training or professional development in the past year
  3. Where there is a secondary foster carer, they must have maintained the Core Mandatory Training as agreed at their most recent review
  4. Have experience of providing foster care for a child for at least 18 months. For foster carers approved as short break foster carers, they must have provided at least 100 nights.
  5. Be available to offer at least one of the following additional tasks to the Fostering Service:
  • Mentoring
  • Running a support group
  • Assisting at preparation training
  • Assist in initial interviews of prospective foster carers
  • Offering training to other foster carers
  • Supporting carers through complaints or allegations
  • Help within the recruitment and support programmes for foster carers

16.2 To maintain Level 4 the foster carer will be required to

  1. Continue to offer one of the services outlined above
  2. Continue to maintain thirty hours of training or ongoing professional development each year
  3. Where there is a secondary foster carer, they must have maintained the Core Mandatory Training as agreed at their most recent review.
  4. Continue to maintain a high standard of care to children placed

16.3 A foster carer can progress to Level 4 on the recommendation of a review that is agreed by the Team Manager, Fostering

16.4 A Level 4 foster carer may decide to withdraw from offering additional services and revert to Level 3 at any time.

16.5 Where two foster carers are providing additional services and both are Level 4 in the same household, the secondary foster carer will receive £25 per week.

17. Reviewing Levels

17.1 The level will be considered at each foster carer review. Foster carers can move up or down levels.

17.2 Where the foster carer or secondary foster carer has not achieved the stipulations set out above, the reasons for this need to be discussed. Where there are extenuating circumstances, these can be presented to the Team Manager for Fostering and an Action Plan set out to address any shortfall. Any Action Plan will include a date for review.

17.3 Where the recommendation of the foster carer review is that the foster carer has not maintained their Level 3 status, this should be presented to the Fostering Panel

17.4 If a foster carer wishes to maintain their Level 4 status but the recommendation of the foster carer review is that they have not continued to meet the criteria, this should be presented tot eh Fostering Panel.

17.5 If the foster carer does not agree with the recommendation of the review, they should be advised that they have the right of appeal to the Service Manager for Adoption and Fostering prior to presentation to Fostering Panel.