As a foster carer, you’ll receive a weekly payment for your skills, plus a weekly allowance for each child you look after.
Skills payments
- Foundation level – £0 per week
- Standard level per week – £200.52 (age 0-10), £290.47 (age 11-17)
- Enhanced payments/previous specialist level payment – up to £541.01 per week.
See Approved foster carers – payment policy for more detail about additional allowances and payments.
Allowances
- Age 0-4 – £196 per week
- Age 5-10 – £216 per week
- Age 11-15 – £247 per week
- Age 16-17 – £288 per week.
See for more detail about skills payments.
Annual leave
All Hertfordshire foster carers who actively foster are entitled to annual leave payments. Full time carers will be paid 2 weeks annual leave payments, Sleepover carers only are entitled to 1 week annual leave 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.
Mockingbird Hub carers
Hub carer payment of £541.01 per week, plus hub allowance and activity budget.
Parent and child carers
£811.52 skills payment per week during placement
(£541.01retainer whilst awaiting placement)
Emergency foster carers
Daily payment of £75 Emergency retainer
Plus enhanced payment/ARC level payment when child is placed, plus allowances:
£75 (skills payment) per day
£34 (child allowance based on 11-15 yrs) per day
NEST Foster Carers (Intensive fostering)
£1,500 per week per child. In addition, child allowance according to child’s age