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Our foster carer payment levels and how they affect your benefits.
When you foster with us, we pay an allowance every 2 weeks into your bank or building society account. This is to cover the costs of giving a home to a foster child.
The allowance includes pocket money that you must give to the foster child you're looking after.
We also help with extra costs, such as a new bed for a child.
Total payment per child per week you'll receive
These rates are for 1 December 2023 onwards:
Child 0 to 4 years old
- Level 1, weekly allowance: £160.39
- Level 2, weekly allowance plus fee: £320.39
- Level 3, weekly allowance plus fee: £410.39
- Pocket money for the child: £2
Child 5 to 10 years old
- Level 1, weekly allowance: £182.75
- Level 2, weekly allowance plus fee: £342.75
- Level 3, weekly allowance plus fee: £432.75
- Pocket money for the child: £3.95
Child 11 to 15 years old
- Level 1, weekly allowance: £227.34
- Level 2, weekly allowance plus fee: £387.34
- Level 3, weekly allowance plus fee: £477.34
- Pocket money for the child: £6.33
Child 16 to 19 years old
- Level 1, weekly allowance: £276.61
- Level 2, weekly allowance plus fee: £436.61
- Level 3, weekly allowance plus fee: £526.61
- Pocket money for the child: £10.06
Foster care and your benefits
The basic allowance you get from us doesn't affect your benefits. You still need to let your benefits agency know you are fostering for us.
The additional fees we pay Level 2 and Level 3 carers may affect your benefits. You can find more information about how your benefits may be affected Go to https://www.gov.uk/foster-carers/claiming-benefits-while-fostering (opens new window) on GOV.UK.
Foster care and taxes
As a foster carer you will pay little or no tax on your income. For more information, find HMRC's guidance on foster carers and tax.
You will get support from FosterTalk membership with this.
Carer allowances and fees
The government set the minimum rates for foster carer allowances.
Some carers also get an additional fee, which reflects their skill level and time commitment.
The allowance rates for Bristol are above the government minimum rates.
We pay foster carers at 3 different levels:
Level | Weekly fee |
---|---|
1 | Normal weekly allowance, based on child's age |
2 | Normal weekly allowance based on the child's age, plus an extra £160 fee per child per week |
3 | Normal weekly allowance based on the child's age, plus an extra £250 fee per child per week, and £95 per week retainer, and £95 fee per child for 4 weeks after a placement ends |
Find out about carer levels and our expectations for foster carers.
New carers can start fostering at Level 2 if they:
- have completed the Skills to Foster training
- have a positive recommendation from the fostering panel
- are fully approved by the Agency Decision Maker
Extra allowances
We'll pay you extra allowances for birthdays and holidays.
Birthday
In the payment before the child's birthday, we'll include an extra week of allowance. This is to help buy presents and to plan a party.
Christmas and other main religious festivals
In the payment made in November, we'll pay you an extra week of allowance to cover Christmas or any other religious festivals the child might celebrate through the year.
Holidays
We'll pay you an extra allowance to cover going on holiday.
You'll get two weeks of allowance, split across 6 payments throughout the year.
For example, if you're fostering a child up to 4 years old, your weekly allowance will be £160.39.
You'd get 2 weeks' worth of allowance to use to go on holiday, which would be £320.78.
This amount would be paid in six payments. So you'd get paid £53.46, six times a year, on top of your normal allowance.
Specialist foster carer fees
Our specialist foster care schemes and fees are:
- short breaks for disabled children: full time role
- a weekly payment of £489 with an additional £28 per night allowance for the child which is a total annual fee of £25,428
- children with challenging behaviour (Bristol Intensive Support Programme)
- £650 per week
- parent and child fostering
- £800 per week
- Branchout: teaching young people life skills
- £175 a week to care for a young person, £15 of that is paid directly by the young person as rent
Short breaks for disabled children
Payment is in 4 hour blocks.
For the first 8 hours of care, you'll get £35.10 in total.
After the first 8 hours, you get £11.49 for every 4 hour block.
For example, if you care for a child for one day and night, you'll get a total of £81.06.
You also get mileage at 42p an hour for activities.
These payments are per child.
Ways you can help improve the lives of children in care or care leavers.
Even if you can't become a foster carer, you can still help improve the lives of our children in care and care leavers.
This could include:
- offering alternative foster care to support other local carers
- giving support on a short-term basis
- asking your organisation to support fostering families or care leavers
- helping us promote fostering in Bristol
- asking your church to support fostering families and children in care by signing up to Home for Good
Support a child in care or care leaver on a short-term basis
You can support a child in care or care leaver by:
- spending a few hours a month with a child in care as an independent visitor Go to https://www.nyas.net/get-support/support-for-young-people/independent-visitor-service/ (opens new window)
- helping a child in care have their views heard, by becoming an advocate
- volunteering with local organisations such as Circles of Support or 1625 Independent People
Ask your organisation to support fostering families or care leavers
You can ask your organisation to help by:
- becoming a fostering friendly employer
- offering discounts to fostering families
- offering apprenticeships or other support to care leavers, which can be done through the Care Convenant
Help us promote fostering in Bristol
Email fostering@bristol.gov.uk to ask us:
- for leaflets and posters for your workplace or community group
- to visit your workplace, faith group or community organisation to talk about fostering
You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter and share our events.
Our expectations for foster carers.
We expect all foster carers to:
- care for children and young people as a member of your family, providing a positive experience of family life
- contribute to positive outcomes for children in line with their care and placement plans
- work as a core professional in the team around the children, attending relevant meetings and taking children to appointments (such as placement planning meetings, Child in Care reviews, Personal Education Plan meetings, health assessments and CAMHS appointments)
- fill in a log about how children you care for are progressing and any issues or concerns, and share this regularly with your supervising social worker
- do all health assessments, dental checks, immunisations and strengths and difficulties questionnaires for the children you care for and correctly report
- give us your email address, so that we can communicate with you
- give children and young people the best chance of achieving positive outcomes by engaging with plans to support placements (if there are difficulties in a placement, a placement support meeting will be organised and if we agree that the child should move, this will normally happen over a period of at least 28 days following the meeting)
- do the training identified in your Personal Development Plan
- use your allowances to budget for all the needs of the children you care for, any possible additional allowances are in the special payments policy and must be agreed in advance
- go to supervision and support groups to give and receive support, get to know other foster carers, share experiences and learning, and contribute to the development of the fostering service
- meet the standards set out in fostering regulations and guidance, work to the Foster Carer Agreement, and follow departmental policies and procedures
- achieve a positive annual review, including positive feedback from children and children’s social workers
- support the child to have time with their family and important people
- be available to take the child to school if this is possible for you
Level 2
To progress from non fee paid/Level 1 to Level 2, you must fill in an application with your supervising social worker showing how you meet the additional requirements below. You must get agreement from the Fostering Team Manager and Agency Decision Maker. Fees will be reviewed as part of your annual review to ensure that requirements are met.
Level 2 carers must:
- meet the expectations required of all foster carers
- have completed the Skills to Foster training, and commit to doing 2 training courses in the following year
- be fully approved by the fostering panel
- work with your supervising social worker to develop a Personal Development Plan to identify areas for development
- do all mandatory training within the required timescales
- engage positively in regular supervision with your supervising social worker
- show a commitment to your ongoing training and development
- actively contribute to your annual review in a timely manner
- support family time and show ability to work with birth families as appropriate
- be prepared to care for children for short term or emergency periods in line with your approval
Level 3
Level 3 carers must:
- demonstrate all the requirements at Level 2
- participate in therapeutic work to support the children in your care as required, including engagement with Bristol Therapeutic Support Service
- not refuse any appropriate matched placements
- have at least one carer available in the day or be able to make arrangements at short notice if, for example, children are excluded from school
- attend your agreed supervision group regularly (at least 9 of 12 meetings per year)
- engage with and support other foster carers, such as through buddying
- be willing to contribute to training, preparation courses, information sessions and recruitment events
- do training and commit to ongoing training to meet the competencies required at Level 3
- evidence a positive annual review including your feedback, analysis from your supervising social worker and feedback from children and childcare social workers
- commit to and complete ongoing training to meet the competencies required at Level 3
What you need to become a foster carer.
Fostering is a rewarding way to make a positive difference to a child's life and a wonderful way to enrich your own. By providing a stable and welcoming home for a child you're giving them the chance for a better future.
We're looking for people who can:
- give children and young people a safe, caring and supportive home
- work with us as part of a team
We welcome people of any ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion. It doesn't matter whether you're married, in a civil partnership, or single, whether you have a job, or if you have a disability or long term health issue. There's no typical foster family, just as there's no typical child.
There are different types of foster care available, so you can choose the one that suits you best.
What you need to become a foster carer
All you need to become a foster carer is to be over 21 and have the space in your home and time in your life to care for a child. You'll also need to be in good enough health to care for a child.
It also helps to have:
- the support of your family
- a desire to help others learn
- a sense of humour
- a desire to learn new things
- patience and understanding
Don't rule yourself out, even if you feel you might not have everything it takes.
If you have questions about any aspect of fostering, or would like to talk to us about it before making a decision, call us on 0117 353 4200. We'd love to talk you through any questions you have, and help you with next steps.
A fostering role that focuses on preparing young people for independent living.
Branchout is our scheme for young people aged 16 years old and above who are leaving care, seeking asylum, or at risk of homelessness due to family breakdown.
The young person will live at your home, until they're ready to live independently, once they've learnt life skills and are ready to manage their own tenancy.
Your role would be to act as a supportive landlord rather than as a carer. Working together with the young person to prepare and support them to learn the skills to live independently, including managing their budget and paying rent.
This would suit you if:
- you have experience of working with or caring for young people
- you're patient, flexible and want a challenge
- you're keen to share skills such as cooking, budgeting or DIY
- you're willing to undertake relevant training
For more information, contact us.
"Working with young people at Branchout and being there for them when they need support has been incredibly rewarding. I'm so proud of the young people that have moved onto the first stages of independent living. We remain very much connected and I'm sure those bonds will remain for many years to come."
Sav, Branchout Host
"Apart from being fed fresh fruit and vegetables, Branchout has been one of the best things that's happened to me. "
CT, Branchout young person
Branchout fees
As a Branchout host you will be paid £195 a week per young person.
Some young people will claim their rent through benefits, and others will be supported by Social Care.
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