Foster Carers -Professional Salary

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Hi Everyone

If you are considering becoming a Foster Carer, and wondering whether you could afford to do this, you may be interested to learn that County Councils are shortly to be announcing professional level salaries to attract quality Carers with high life skills, to help meet projected demand especially for teenage placements.

By chance today, I interviewed a senior member of Hampshire County Council who gave me the following information which is to be announced in a press release in April 2008, together with a recruitment drive:-

A good skills level Foster Carer who takes on 2 children-salary =£550 p.w.

Plus, you are also paid a boarding payment of between £150-£209 p.w. for each child (amount depending on age of child).
[This payment is worked out as 50% more than you would have to pay if it were your own child]

So, for 2 older children: weekly salary = £550 + (2x £209) =£968 per week
This is a salary of £50,336 equivalent.

Other Councils In England and Wales are expected to follow suit.

This salary is intended to attract a high calibre of caring individual.
There is a 12 week course on Skills to Foster to complete, and professional support is always available.

Thought I'd share this with all you caring MSE'rs. HTH some of you.

badmumof1

good post but fostering should be considered because you want to do it NOT because of financial rewards from agencys.

poet123

This worries me....those figures are huge,a larger salary than many people could ever hope to achieve in other employment spheres. Is it not possible that some people will simply see the £££ and not go into this with the welfare of the child in the forefront of their minds?.

stimpy27

I think the opposite is true, I would love to be a foster carer and think I would be good at it, however at the moment I simply wouldn't be able to afford my mortgage to give up work and do this on the pittance they pay, therefore many people who couldn't do it before my consider it now as a career. There will always be people who are foster carers who only see £££ but you would like to think SS might be able to weed them out!!!

russetred

I saw an advert in my local squeak for foster carers ,shared care etc and wondered about applying as both myself and OH have vast experience bringing up an autistic child now 21 and OH works with adults with special needs.The money aspect was always a drawback but I may make enquiries now.I well remember the complete lack of respite care we endured when our child was young.It would be very satisfying to make it easier for other parents of autistic children.

kimlyn_2

I have thought of fostering in the past,but because we have had debt problems I didn't think we would get anywhere.Am I right in thinking this?

JoJoB

kimlyn wrote: »

I have thought of fostering in the past,but because we have had debt problems I didn't think we would get anywhere.Am I right in thinking this?

Yes and no. Past debt problems wouldn't automatically disqualify you but they would be an issue to be addressed - you would have to show that you are now intelligent and responsible with money as you will be financially responsible for looking after a child. So there shouldn't be stress around resulting form finances, or possible upheaval involving moving house/reposession etc as it is important kids in your care feel secure. I'm pretty sure these things are looked at on a case-by-case basis.

I really wanted to go into foster care a year ago but our flat wasn't deemed suitable. As it turned out probably for the best as we are having our own child now, but it is certainly something i would like to do in the future. The current rates of pay are not too bad i think, but higher rates would certainly reflect the skill level and job diffuculty involved. It's funny that people have issues about high levels of pay for childcare work - it's the most important job there is and the pay should reflect that! there will always be dodgy people going into fostering for the wrong reasons, but nowadays the application process is so thorough i would expect that most of the unsuitable people are weeded out.

pcplum_2

I fostered my two neices and got £60 per month for 12 months only,but I do think large amounts of money would attract people who would see the pound signs without the childs best interests. Foster carers should definatley be paid but £50k per year is risky.

Oldernotwiser

Selection and training for fostering is very rigorous and for the kind of kids you'd be taking on you'd be earning every penny of this amount!

redballoon_2

i am considering fostering at the moment. i am not doing it for the money, but i do have a concern over the fact that i would be taking a drop in salary so i do think there should be a salary but not £50k+ as people have said it will attract people that are only doing it for the money.

foster caring isnt just child minding. its a very demanding job

Oldernotwiser

The OP has confused the issue by including the children's maintenance payments in with the salary. The actual salary quoted for fostering 2 children is £550 per week which equates to about £28,000 pa. This is not an unreasonable salary for working with 2 young people with multiple problems on a 24/7 basis! As for people only doing it for the money, isn't this why any of us work? As long as foster carers do a good job, their motivation is not really that important.