Hull Fostering are not-for-profit. This means all the funding we receive directly supports the children in our care and our foster carers.
Fostering is a professional role with responsibilities and the money given to you by Hull Fostering will cover your continued commitment and cost of adding an extra child into your home.
Rates for allowances and expenses are set annually by Hull City Council and are above the recommendations from the fostering charity, Fostering Network, which estimate the real costs of looking after someone else’s child.
All foster carers receive an allowance for each child they foster. The amount depends on a number of factors like the type of fostering you undertake, how many children you foster, and for how long.
There are 3 main parts to the weekly allowance -
- the basic fostering allowance to cover the child’s day-to-day expenses
- gifts and experiences allowance to cover taking the child on holiday, cover birthday presents and one religious festival such as Christmas, Eid or Diwali
- skills payment as a thank you for continually developing your training
Although the first two parts of the weekly allowance covers the costs of a child living with you, the third part is awarded to you in recognition of you continuous learning and skills gained.
The basic allowance is to cover food, clothing, pocket money, a contribution towards your housing costs such as the electricity and water bill and any other day-to-day living expenses.
The second part of the allowance is to cover significant events, such as a religious festival such as Christmas, Eid or Diwali, cover the cost purchasing birthday presents for the child and a holiday allowance, to help cover the cost of taking the child on holiday. You can decide to have this allowance paid weekly or in a lump sum nearer the time of the child’s birthday, religious festival or holiday.
The third part of the weekly payment is for you in recognition of your ongoing commitment to learn new skills through our training package and can be spent as you wish.
When attending meetings or training, you can also claim travel and childcare expenses.
When you are first approved as a foster carer, you can receive a ‘setting up grant’ to help with purchasing the essentials to care for a child and then be rewarded with a £500 annual bonus for every year you remain fostering with Hull Fostering.
