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Hertfordshire County Council

 

Fostering payments in Hertfordshire

As a foster carer, you’ll receive a weekly payment for your skills, plus a weekly allowance for each child you look after.

All foster carers receive:

  • skills payments whilst the child is in placement
  • annual leave payment
  • allowances for children in placement (including pocket money, holiday, birthday, furniture, clothing and festivities).

Carer payments when a child is placed with them

Skills payments

  • Foundation level – £0 per week
  • Standard level per week – £187.20 (age 0-10), £279.30 (age 11-17)
  • ARC level – £505.05 per week.

 

Allowances

  • Age 0-4 – £177 per week
  • Age 5-10 – £195 per week
  • Age 11-15 – £223 per week
  • Age 16-17 – £260 per week.

See Approved foster carers – payment policy for more detail about additional allowances and payments.

 

Annual leave

All Hertfordshire foster carers who actively foster are entitled to annual leave payments. For full time carers, the payment is equivalent to 2 weeks' skills payment.

Sleepover carers only are entitled to 1 week skills payment.

 

Exceptional/Additional payments 

In exceptional circumstances, additional allowances may be paid. These are agreed on a case by case basis and must not be covered by existing allowances. They may include:

  • costs of activities and trips
  • sports equipment
  • musical instruments
  • meeting special dietary requirements
  • additional hair / skin care needs relating to a young person’s ethnicity etc.

Specialist schemes

Mockingbird Hub carers

£505.05 per week plus hub allowance and activity budget.

 

Parent and child carers

£715.88 per week during placement (£463.35 whilst awaiting placement).

 

Emergency foster carers

Daily payment of:

  • £75 emergency foster carer retainer 
  • payment when a child is placed – £72.15 skills payment, £32 child allowance based on 11-15 years.

 

Additional payment rates / roles

Foster carers can apply for additional paid roles in the service:

  • Ambassador (supporting applicants) – £9.57 per hour
  • Peer support carer – £9.57 per hour
  • Ambassador co-ordinator – £15 per hour
  • Trainer – £15 per hour
  • Retained  carer – £150 per weekend.

 

Foster carers can claim additional payments for their placement, if agreed with their fostering team:

  • Day care allowance – £15.72 per child per day
  • Expenses, for example, mileage
  • Emergency placement – £100
  • Hourly day care payment – £5.38 per child per hour
  • Disturbance payment – £15.50 per child per day.

 

We encourage foster carers to contribute to the service and develop themselves by taking on voluntary roles:

  • service development task groups
  • buddy – supporting  new or existing carers.

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