Foster Carers -Professional Salary

blushingbride_3

I am seriously considering foster as i love children,
I am gettin married in august and my partner currently works with children with challengin behaviour.

I would love to do it because until we have our own children i would like to help other children, we have space at home etc etc

However i have a mortgage to pay and cant give up work.
I have been researching and you get allowances for the children etc but do you also get money towards ur own time?

Not because i am doing it for the money but because i need to be able to afford the house to have the kiddies!:)

Also how do i start the appication process? do i call the local council?

Katiex

Skye32

Hi Katie

My DH and I have been foster carers for the past six years. We have two sons of our own, 8 & 10. We work for an agency rather than local authority. www.fostering.net is a good website to explain fostering and the difference between agency and LA.

It is hard work but also very rewarding!

If you want to PM me for a chat please do!

Emma

molly1973jade

Hi All
I have got a meeting to register my interest to foster coming up. Can anyone pls tell me any relevant and helpful info that will help with the application.
I am married with 3 children and at moment do not have spare room but am looking to move to a bigger house in the next few months which will have a spare room. My kids ages are 17, 15 and 13. My husband and I both work full time. Would I have to pack my job in if I was to foster???? Am a bit concerned as would not be able to afford this and support my children and foster children. I am not looking to foster as a inc I am looking to foster as sad as it may seem I love children and would dearly love another child but this will never happen. I also want to give a child who has never had much the good life my 3 children have and have had. What kind of financial support do you get when fostering i.e towards the foster child for example clothing

Thanks

minxtress

I have long thought about fostering but dont have a spare room/rooms. Does anyone know if grants are available to create extra space, as If my loft was done I would apply to foster immediatly.

Frances63

I've been looking to see if there is a specialist chat forum on the net for UK foster carers. I have only managed to find one in the USA through google, and whilst it is useful, obviously some things are different.

Does anybody know of one?

JennyJewell

Hi all,
I haven't read all the posts - basically because I need to get to bed,lol!
I would be concerned that this sort of money would entice people for the wrong reasons if I am truthful and without wanting to offend anyone but personally I don't think children should be seen as a 'career'.
As I said I really don't want to offend anybody
Jenny

littlemrtinkle

have any of you ever seen the bender fostering episode in futurama? :-)

Daichip

JennyJewell wrote: »

Hi all,
I haven't read all the posts - basically because I need to get to bed,lol!
I would be concerned that this sort of money would entice people for the wrong reasons if I am truthful and without wanting to offend anyone but personally I don't think children should be seen as a 'career'.
As I said I really don't want to offend anybody
Jenny

Interesting post Jenny.

we have been foster carers for 11 years. In the early days we had to pay for private nursery for children.

As for your quote children should not be seen as a career. What about childminders, teachers, nurseries? If there were no foster carers there would not be any socail workers, support workers, certain lawyers, judges etc. In addition it also provides jobs for taxi drivers secretarial staff etc etc.

Foster carers look after children 24/7 and are responsible for their welfare, we have to account for every mark and scratch they have in addition to being open to allegation. Foster carer should be on twice they are on now. (and get an MBE)
I can understand your concerns as for those people wanting to do fostering for money, but the process to get registered is long and thorough with a lot of training and accounability, so these people will soon get found out.
May I also add that as foster carers are self employed they are also able to claim family tax credits as their income, in most cases, are "0" due to the different tax laws for foster carers.
A lot of foster carers are not aware of their right to claim family tax credits. They are also allowed to claim interest on their savings also with a R85 form.

Kind regards


David and Geraldene
Foster CArers MBE?:beer:

^!£$&

I have always known I wanted to be a foster carer but at the moment I feel I would be laughed out the door by my la.

I work with special needs kids in a school, have a degree in social care but am 24 yrs & single
But a friend of mine who starts her foster carer training next month says our local authority are crying out for more foster carers and would consider me, is it worth me applying yet or should I wait a few years???


Thanks for any advice/ opinions

Skye32

snowbrow wrote: »

I have always known I wanted to be a foster carer but at the moment I feel I would be laughed out the door by my la.

I work with special needs kids in a school, have a degree in social care but am 24 yrs & single
But a friend of mine who starts her foster carer training next month says our local authority are crying out for more foster carers and would consider me, is it worth me applying yet or should I wait a few years???


Thanks for any advice/ opinions

Hi, I thought I would reply even though the post is quite old.

I would say go for it although, with my fostering agency, you are only allowed to work part time. You have to be around before and after school. Also there are quite a few meetings you will have to attend when you have a child in placement.

Good luck should you decide to go for it!:p