Foster carer allowances and rewards
You may be wondering, "how much do foster carers get paid?" We offer generous and competitive payments and rewards for our foster carers. Payments vary depending on the type of foster care and age of the child/children, and are paid fortnightly, on Wednesdays.
Weekly payments for our mainstream foster carers have two parts:
- Child allowance, to cover living costs, which varies depending on the age of the child.
- A foster carers fee, which is for your time and skill dedicated to foster caring.
We also pay an annual allowance for holidays, birthdays and religious festivals, based on the age of the child.
Fostering allowances calculator
Our fostering allowance calculator can give you an idea of what you could receive while fostering a child or children with us.
How many children do you plan on caring for?
What age range would you like to care for?
Fee Plus payments
Fee Plus payments may be paid to those foster carers who look after children with significant additional needs, often associated with complex health and/or disability needs.
Fee plus is a payment foster carers may receive instead of the foster carer weekly fee, but in addition to their weekly child allowance payment.
There are 2 categories which makes foster carers eligible for Fee plus payments:
- Category 1 foster carers will receive a Fee Plus payment of £395.04 per week
- Category 2 foster carers will receive a Fee Plus payment of £458.02 per week
Parent and child fostering allowances
Parent and child foster carers provide a home for both the parent and their child. There are enhanced allowances to reflect the specialist skills needed by our foster carers. Some examples of how this may look are:
Amina and Bilal care for a parent and child who are both looked after.
They receive £1,564.04 per week.
Cath is caring for a parent who is under 18 and is looked after. Their child aged 0-4 is not looked after.
She receives £991.52 per week.
Helen and Peter are caring for a parent who is not looked after. Their child aged 0-4 in looked after.
They receive £991.52 per week.
Grace is caring for a parent and child who are not looked after. They have short breaks or staying put plans.
She receives £991.52 per week.
Additional annual payments are made for holiday, birthday and religious festivals.
Rewards
Recommend a friend to fostering payment
We offer a word of mouth referral payment of £1,651.50* to any existing Lancashire foster carer or Lancashire County Council employee who recommends someone who then goes on to become a mainstream foster carer for Lancashire. The fee is payable to the referrer when the new foster carer is successfully approved and fostering a child for two months.**
*£1,651.50 paid directly via your LCC salary and subject to any payroll deductions, including tax, national insurance and student loans.
** The name of the Lancashire County Council employee or foster carer making the recommendation must be provided to the fostering team at the time of the initial enquiry or information visit to be eligible for this scheme.
Welcome payment
To show our thanks for choosing Lancashire County Council and to support you at the start of your fostering journey we also pay a fee of £1,145.50 to all new, non-connected foster carers (approved after the 1 January 2021). The fee is paid after you:
- have been approved as foster carers for Lancashire County Council
- continue to be successful in your role as foster carers
- have fostered a child with us for two months.
Sibling group payment
When a sibling group of three or more children are matched and placed at the same time, foster carers will receive an additional incentive one off payment of £1,145.50, after the children have been successfully fostered for two months.
Non-connected carers introduction payment
Our non-connected foster carers will receive a £1,145.50 post approval introduction payment, after successfully fostering a child with Lancashire County Council for two months.
Long service award payment
We have also introduced the following long service award payments for foster carers who have fostered with Lancashire County Council for:
- 5 years - £573
- 10 years - £1,145.50
- 15 years - £1,718
- 20 + years at increments of 5 years - £2,290.50
Opportunities to contribute to the service
All of our foster carers have the opportunity to contribute to the service and take on voluntary roles to develop themselves and others. For example, attending a marketing event or contributing a case study for a marketing campaign, or being a buddy to another foster carer.
There are also some additional roles which our foster carers can receive extra payments for including becoming a trainer, mentor or sitting on an interview panel for recruiting new foster carers.
Claiming benefits
As a foster carer you may be entitled to claim tax credits and benefits. You can find out more on The Fostering Network's website (external link).
Transferring foster carers
We always welcome foster carers who would like to transfer from another authority or agency to Lancashire County Council.
If you have a Lancashire foster child in your home, we will match the payments in place. The matched payments will remain in place until the child leaves your home, is no longer fostered or turns 18 years old. The matched payments will only apply to the Lancashire child you had in your care at the point of transferring to us. Any placements that commence after transferring to us will be paid at the standard foster carer fee. Find out more about transferring from an agency.
We're happy to answer any questions you have about money, employment or our payment system and allowances. Give us a call on 0300 123 6723 or complete our enquiry form to find out more.
Learn about our other benefits and support when you foster for Lancashire.