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Rewards and allowances – foster carers

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Foster carers allowances and rewards

Basic needs

Money has a significant impact on our day-to-day lives. For most of us it is a major factor in where and how we live, the quality of what we can buy and where we find ourselves in the social order, and if we have enough money, we don’t have to worry about meeting our family’s basic needs.

Fostering children involves looking after your own family, and someone else’s children at the same time. Being a foster carer is full on enough without adding to the pressures by constantly worrying about finances which raises stress levels, narrows choices and restricts carer’s ability to help everyone to fully share in what society has to offer.

“Like all families, having enough money means that carers are less likely to worry about it.”

Reward element

For many foster carers, fostering is their main income, and the fostering allowances and fees paid to foster carers are designed to be enough to cover the care of foster children in their home and to have a reasonable reward element which contributes to, or is enough to cover the foster family’s daily needs, lifestyle and future goals – just like any other family.

The reward element or ‘profit’ is for the complex and demanding work which helps abused children and young people to feel better about their experiences and become settled mature adults. In financial terms, the fostering service saves us all many millions of pounds. Foster carers help children to make better choices, lessen the chances of mental ill-health, committing crime and anti-social behaviour and making more victims.

Foster carers are care professionals, and extremely good value!

Amy Parsons – Author

For more information visit Foster carers allowances page.

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