Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he will take steps to increase financial support to foster carers.

Local fostering service providers are responsible for setting the allowances paid to foster carers and should review their rates each year and to set out a clear policy on what their foster carers can expect. Whilst these will vary in accordance with local need, they should cover the costs for caring for the child. The Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards, issued by the Secretary of State under the Care Standards Act 2000 (CSA), sets out the expectations that are placed on foster carers and their agencies: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/192705/NMS_Fostering_Services.pdf. This includes that all foster carers receive at least the national minimum allowance (NMA) plus any agreed expenses to cover the full cost of caring for each child placed with them (standard 28). The National Minimum Allowance is uprated annually, most recently in April 2022.

Foster carers also receive Qualifying Care Relief that is made up of two parts: tax exemption on the first £10,000 shared equally among any foster carers in the same household, and tax relief for every week a child is in their care.