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The pay is rotten and goodwill is running short, so why not professionalise the role of foster carers, writes Rachel Foggitt

A survey by the Fostering Network has found that two-thirds of foster carers receive less than the recommended fees and allowances, and highlights huge national variations between agencies, both local authority and independent. More than half are paid nothing for their services and a further 20 per cent receive less than £100 a week. The Fostering Network is calling for the professionalisation of the role in order to provide a consistent, high-quality service for all children in foster care.

They recommend a base line fee for foster carers for the work they do, according to their experience and training as well as an allowance to cover the expenses of looking after a child, based on age and recognising the special needs of fostered children.
The Fostering Network is campaigning with Baaf Adoption and Fostering for a national minimum allowance for every child based on age to be included in the Children Bill. Sure Start minister Cathy Ashton is leading an amendment to this effect through the House of Lords, where it has cross-party support.

“We are encouraged by the support it’s getting,” says Vicki Swain, policy and campaigns manager of the Fostering Network. “Decision makers recognise how unfair it is for children in different areas to be given different allowances. It’s a challenging and skilled role. We expect foster carers to know about attachment issues, to cope with the consequences of sexual abuse, to liaise with parents and to support a child through court processes. They should be awarded professional status with formal training and appropriate payments.”

Clearly people should not foster just for the money but there is a rigorous assessment process to weed out unsuitable applicants. Tracy McLauchlan, recruitment co-ordinator for East Sussex Council’s fostering team, supports the notion of professionalising the role. “There’s definitely a vocational element to fostering,” she says. “But the days when we could rely on people’s goodwill alone are long gone.”

Janet Williams has fostered for Gwynedd Council for 24 years. She is paid an allowance but no fee. “It costs us to foster,” she says. “All the children who come to us are treated as part of the family. We do things together and you can’t count the cost all the time. We don’t do it for the money, but fostering’s a full-time job, seven days a week. Now I’m nearly ready to retire but I’ve got no pension because I’ve had no income. I’ll have to get a job, which is galling after the work I’ve done over the years.”

The national shortage of foster carers means children are often moved from home to home, separated from siblings and have to live a long way from their communities and schools. At the same time many people who express an interest in fostering cannot afford to give up work to do it.

A wider pool of carers increases the chance of finding people to meet children’s individual needs. “The match is important,” says Swain. “A child should not have to go somewhere inappropriate just because there’s space. We need local carers for local children, reflecting the population in terms of ethnicity, religion and culture.”

In East Sussex they have a shortage of more specialised placements. “We have raised awareness of fostering through our recent campaigns,” says McLauchlan. “Now we need to target carers for black and mixed parentage children, mother and baby placements and sibling groups.”

The government accepts the Fostering Network’s recommended payment scheme and encourages all local authorities to follow it but there is no regulation or funding. Local authorities are expected to find the money themselves.

“The government makes it clear that every child matters,” says Swain. “If this is the case, foster carers, who look after some of society’s most vulnerable children, should be professional, trained people who are rewarded appropriately for the skilled and important job they do.”

‘Dramatic success’ for Brighton

Brighton and Hove Council has had a long-standing shortage of foster carers, as have most councils. Last year the council decided to enhance the payment scheme and improve the training and support packages to encourage more people into foster care and to retain their experienced carers.

The council consulted its carers, took advice from the Fostering Network about professionalising the service and employed marketing consultants to help with the recruitment campaign.

In May last year eye-catching, full-page adverts appeared in the local press, designed to have an inclusive, broad-ranging appeal with the new rates of pay explicit, but not prominent.

“The success was dramatic,” says Clare Smith, service manager for the fostering team. “We used to get 15 to 18 inquiries a month; after the campaign we got 80. Several people said they had always thought they couldn’t afford to, or weren’t eligible because they were single or gay or over 50.” 

Foster carers used to be paid a basic rate and could claim back money for expenses such as equipment, travel and activities. Now, in line with Fostering Network guidelines, they receive a realistic allowance to cover all the child’s needs and a fee for their work. Once people have been fostering for two years and have completed the mandatory training courses they have an increment and another after five years, reflecting their experience.

“This is about professionalising the role,” says Smith. “Fostering is a full-time occupation. Carers need to be at home so they can commit to meetings, contact arrangements and respond to the children’s needs. We expect a lot from them and we should reward them appropriately. They are also well supported: each has their own social worker; there’s an out-of-hours service; a community family worker to help with practical tasks; and a placement support team to work with older children.”

Now, an experienced carer who fosters three older children could receive as much as £52,000 a year. Legislation which came in last year made much of this exempt from taxation. “The carers are worth it,” says Smith. “They do a difficult and important job. A good foster carer earns every penny.”

Some experienced carers were ambivalent about the extra money, but most now like the autonomy of budgeting their own money.
“It has taken the cap-in-hand element out of it,” says Simone Walker, foster carer for 13 years. “It’s much better now. More is expected of us and we feel more valued for the work we do.”

In February, a scheme was launched for council staff to have paid leave from work for their fostering commitments. “We expect carers not to work outside the home when they foster and the new payments reflect this,” says Smith. “But some couples both work part time, leaving one available for the children. They could take advantage of this initiative. We also get a trickle of working people wanting to offer weekend respite and hope to get more council staff interested.”

Most foster carers leave when they are ready to retire from fostering, but more are lost to the service when they become long-term carers for the children they already care for. This is an excellent outcome for the child, but involves constant recruitment. “We particularly need more carers for over-twelves,” says Smith. “And ethnic matching is a particular issue in Brighton and Hove where there is no dominant ethnic minority group. The next stage is to target our advertising more specifically.”

Brighton and Hove aims to approve 20 carers this year. “We will always need more so there is scope for better matching,” says Smith. “But now our carers are better trained, supported and rewarded and this makes for a far better service for the children.”