Allowances, training and support for foster carers

Find out how we support our foster carers financially, through training and other support.

We’re a not-for-profit organisation, dedicated to keeping fostered children in Sutton and close to their birth family, friends and schools.

When you foster with us, we’ll provide you with financial support, training and guidance to help you give a caring home for the children you look after.

What you'll be paid

Foster carers are paid for each child they care for. What you earn depends on the type of fostering and the age of the child or children in your care.

We offer a generous allowance and fee package to our foster carers. For most foster carers, this will be tax free and will not affect any benefits you’re currently receiving.

We’ll also give birthday, festival and holiday payments in addition to carer fees and allowances.

Enhanced Placement fee

We pay an enhanced placement fee depending on a child's additional or specific needs. This will be agreed with carers on a case by case basis.

Allowance amounts

Child’s age	Allowance	Standard Placement fee	Weekly total	Enhanced Placement fee	Enhanced Placement weekly total (allowance plus standard fee and enhanced fee)
0 to 2 years	£191	£283.87	£474.87	£129.54	£604.41
3 to 4 years	£195	£283.87	£478.87	£129.54	£608.41
5 to 10 years	£217	£283.87	£500.87	£129.54	£630.41
11 to 15 years	£248	£283.87	£531.87	£129.54	£661.41
16 to 17 years	£289	£283.87	£572.87	£129.54	£702.41

Example

A foster carer is looking after 2 siblings, age 8 and 10, on a standard placement. The foster carer receives £500.87 per child each week. This means they get £1 001.74 in total.

Training and support

As a Sutton foster carer, you’ll get training and support from our team and other foster carers. This includes:

regular support from your allocated supervising social worker - we have a low turnover of staff so we can develop a good working relationship with you and your family
24/7 support from our Emergency Duty Team
comprehensive and local training, including preparation training during your assessment, and in-person and virtual learning and development opportunities once you’re fostering
PACE model - an approach to parenting and caring for children in foster care that stands for Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy. it is a way of being that helps children who have experienced trauma feel safe and build connections with adults.
the opportunity to be mentored by an experienced foster carer in your first year of fostering
a local network of other foster carers providing formal and informal support through groups and social events
access to therapeutic support
free membership with the Fostering Network
Floating support for foster caters to enable them to attend for example training, medical appointments, parents evenings, family/work commitments or any unexpected events. Floating support can be from a few hours to a full week.
Blue Light Card Discounts

Register your interest in fostering

If you're interested in fostering, we want to hear from you.

Online

Telephone

020 8770 5563

Email

fostering.duty@sutton.gov.uk

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