Emergency Fostering Pay Criteria

This type of fostering which is often the result of a crisis, is used for children who need a safe place to stay at short notice, Foster parents who are approved for these placements, and have a vacancy have to be available to take children sometimes within an hour of being contacted by their Agency, which could be anytime, night or day.

Children need this type of placement because they might have been or are at risk of being abused and their family home has become unsafe.

There are occasions when children are placed due to wider family problems such as parents suffering from physical or mental health problems.

Emergency Foster Care is most often the most crucial type of care in the duty towards keeping a child safe from harm.

How long does an Emergency Placement last?

These placements are expected to be for the very short term, overnight or a few days or until it’s safe for a return home.

When a child has to be removed from home, the first response from Social workers is to check if there are any other suitable family members who are able to look after the child in place of ‘care’.

It’s not uncommon for placements to develop into longer term care if the child’s situation can’t be resolved in the short term.

Foster Carer’s Payment.

A Foster Carer is paid for every night a child is in their care, along with any other funding that’s required to meet the child’s immediate needs such as for clothing or for special dietary needs.

The basic nightly payment averages £75 plus other Allowances.

Required Skills.

You’ll need the same quality of skills and abilities as any other type of foster parent:

• Highly flexible
• Very patient
• Able to connect quickly with children
• Calmness in a crisis.

Emergency Fostering will best suit you if you can keep calm in sometimes, very stressful, crisis situations.

Respite for Other Carers.

Foster parents approved as Emergency Carers may also decide to work with other foster families by offering Short Break or Respite foster care. This provides often a much needed break from fostering, to go on holiday or just to have some time for themselves and their family.

Typically, foster carers with regular placements receive 22 nights of respite per year, so playing an important role in supporting foster families and consequently, the stability of foster care placements.