Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will review the financial support provided to foster carers in the context of the increases to the cost of living; and if he will make a statement.

The ‘Fostering Services: National Minimum Standards’, issued by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, under the Care Standards Act 2000, set out the expectations that are placed on foster parents and their agencies. We are clear that no one should be ‘out of pocket’ because of their fostering role and we expect all foster parents to 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 NMA 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.