As well as financial support, carers with Fostering Devon can expect to receive a huge amount of guidance and additional support. This includes, but is not limited to:
- A dedicated supervising social worker
- A dedicated Children’s Promoting Stability Team who can provide additional advice and guidance
- Paid membership to FosterTalk
- Regular support groups
- A fostering support Duty line available to all Fostering Devon foster carers
- Face to face and online training opportunities, as well as e-learning and a huge variety of courses
- Peer support
More information about the support available to Fostering Devon carers can be found on our Guidance and Support pages.
Fostering pay and allowances
Foster carers with Fostering Devon are paid a weekly allowance to cover the expenses of caring for, and the time spent looking after, a foster child.
Those expenses include, but are not limited to:
- Food
- Clothing
- Pocket money
- Personal and household expenditure
- Equipment
- Special outings
- Activities – including clubs and hobbies
The Fostering Devon allowance is calculated based on the child’s level of need and is paid weekly, directly into your bank account.
What factors are considered for fostering allowances?
Full details of all payments and allowances and the circumstances in which they may be paid can be found in our fostering allowances guide.
The allowance per child varies depending on each child you look after. Factors considered when determining the allowance per child include the child’s age, and their specific needs.
For example, the minimum weekly allowance for a mainstream foster carer at Fostering Devon is £366.
Foster carers may then also be eligible to apply for extra money when caring for the child, to cover specific expenses which could include:
- Holidays
- Birthdays
- Religious festivals
Paying tax
Foster carers are classed as self-employed, and you will need to file a tax return. However, fostering payments are free from Income Tax if they do not exceed your qualifying amount. This is a specific tax scheme for foster carers known as qualifying care relief. Find out more about the qualifying care relief scheme and how to use it.
You can use the HMRC (HM Revenue and Customs) self-employment ready reckoner to budget for your Self-Assessment tax bill for the year. There is also a range of record keeping apps that you may find useful.
The Fostering Network provides a useful guide about tax and National Insurance, but we recommend that you take advice from your local tax office about your employment status and tax position when becoming a foster carer.
If you have any questions about the payments offered by Fostering Devon, or what other support is available, please speak to one of the team.
