Could you provide a home for vulnerable children and young people and keep them safe and secure? Could you give them the stability and guidance to help them grow physically and emotionally?
We need lots of diverse kinds of people who can foster children who can’t live with their birth families. The children are from all kinds of backgrounds with their individual experiences and personalities, so we need foster carers from a variety of backgrounds and who have different life experiences, skills and qualities to help meet their needs.
The dropdown menu below provides more information
| Ages | Rates |
|---|---|
| 0-4 | £105.48 |
| 5-10 | £119.17 |
| 11-15 | £147.90 |
| 16-18 | £189.02 |
| Summer = 2 weeks maintenance | Easter = 1 weeks maintenance |
| October = 1 week maintenance | Birthday = 1 week maintenance |
| Christmas = 2 weeks maintenance |
| Levels | Rates |
|---|---|
| Level 1 Foster Carer | £266.23 |
| Level 2 Foster Carer | £399.36 |
| £50 per week |
| Levels | Rates |
|---|---|
| Supported Lodgings Carer | £264.91 |
Short break foster carers offering respite placements are paid one day’s fee and one day’s maintenance allowance for each full night of placement.
Foster carers who offer short break placements in addition to full time placements are paid one day’s maintenance allowance for each full night of placement.
Supported lodgings carers are paid a weekly fee and the young person is responsible for providing their own clothing, activities and transport. Young people generally pay a nominal amount of “digs” money to their carer depending on their income.
Supported lodgings carers get paid a full fee for each young person placed with them.
HMRC provide information about tax liabilities to foster carers through a series of webinars (online presentations) and an e-learning module Tax for Foster Carers on their website. Live or recorded webinars are available on a range of topics for foster carers such as keeping records and what to put on your tax return.
Fostering a child or young person is a big responsibility and can involve providing physical and emotional support for children and young people, each with their own individual characters and some with complex needs.
To equip you to play your role we provide regular training and development opportunities. And to help you progress we hold annual reviews to discuss your fostering experience and development and future requirements.
As part of the professional approach Fife Council encourages, all foster carers are given membership of the Fostering Network, a nationwide organisation that offers guidance and advice on fostering related issues.
Once you’re approved as a foster carer your dedicated supervising social worker will give you advice and guidance and together you will create your personal training and development programme.
We run a buddy system where new foster carers are ‘buddied’ with our experienced carers in their local area to give support and guidance. In addition, we hold a monthly development and support group for newly approved foster carers.
Your supervising social worker will keep in regular contact with you during the child or young person’s placement. The frequency of the contact will vary depending on circumstances and is likely to be more at the beginning of the placement or during periods of difficulty when you will have access to 24-hour support from skilled social workers.
We encourage everyone to get involved in the local fostering community and the many formal and informal support groups where many people find the peer support from other carers invaluable.
Fife Council has a duty to make sure that foster carers are assessed and approved. As part of the process, you will be asked to share information about yourself and other people you live with and undertake health and police checks.
The process of application to become a foster carer should take approximately four months and will involve regular visits to your home. A report will then be completed and shared with you.
The final step is to be referred to the Fostering Panel where you will be approved and then you will begin to have children placed with you.
