Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the national minimum fostering allowance to cover young people in staying put arrangements.

Foster carers and those providing Staying Put arrangements play a vital role in supporting some of our most vulnerable children and young people. It is right that they receive the support they need to meet the needs of those they care for, including financial support.

There has been no assessment of the adequacy of National Minimum Allowances for foster carers or whether it would be appropriate to set minimum allowances for those providing Staying Put arrangements.

However, the National Fostering Stocktake, an independent review of the fostering system in England, has now concluded. I will carefully consider any recommendations made by the review and the Education Select Committee on payments to foster carers and Staying Put carers. The government response will be published in spring 2018.