Financial Support
Fostering – weekly fees and allowances
2012 – 2013
Bradford Council’s foster carers receive competitive fees and allowances. We also provide essential equipment such as beds, bedding, wardrobes, other furniture and some safety equipment, such as car seats and fire guards.
Details are provided for mainstream fostering in the three-step summary below.
Step 1 – Mainstream fostering fee rates
Mainstream foster carers* receive a weekly fee that depends on their level of competence and the number of children and young people in their care.
| Level | 1 child per week (per annum) | 2 children per week (per annum) | 3 children per week (per annum) |
| 1 | £130.55 (£6,807.25) | £195.81 (£10,210.09) | £261.09 (£13,613.97) |
| 2 | £184.95 (£9,643.82) | £277.40 (£14,464.42) | £369.88 (£19,286.60) |
| 3 | £263.27 (£13,727.65) | £394.90 (£20,591.21) | £526.53 (£27,454.77) |
| 4 | £424.28 (£22,123.17) | | |
(*part-time carers on schemes such as Shared Care, Support Care and Crisis Care fees are calculated on a daily basis).
Step 2 – Fostering allowances per child
Mainstream foster carers* also receive an allowance for each child or young person in their care, dependent on the age of each child. The allowance is to cover the general costs of looking after children, for example: food, clothing, transport, pocket money and general household costs.
| Age | Weekly fostering allowance |
| 0 – 4 years | £124.96 |
| 5 – 10 years | £142.35 |
| 11 – 15 years | £177.20 |
| 16 – 17 years | £215.52 |
(*for part-time carers on schemes such as Shared Care, Support Care, and Crisis Care the allowance is calculated on a daily basis and slightly reduced as there are certain items they are not expected to provide).
Step 3 – Additional payments per child
In addition to the generous weekly fee and allowances listed above, foster carers* also receive the following payments for each child or young person in their care:
- one week’s allowance to be paid to cover the costs of the child’s birthday including gifts, parties, etc
- one week’s allowance to cover the costs associated with religious or festive holidays such as Christmas, Eid or Diwali
- two weeks’ holiday allowance
(*does not include part-time carers on schemes such as Shared Care, Support Care and Respite Care).
Fees and allowances for other fostering schemes including Family & Friends
The fees and / or allowances for the other fostering schemes are currently under review (Autumn 2012). The information will be posted on this page as soon as it becomes available.
