how we support you

support and allowance in cardiff

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how we support you

We’re here to support you. That means we’ll do everything we can to help you provide a stable and loving home for a foster child.

Even before a child arrives, Foster Wales Cardiff provides in-depth guidance and training to make sure fostering is the right fit for you and your family. But the support doesn’t end there.

Once you are fostering a child, we offer:

  • ongoing guidance from a dedicated support worker
  • fostering pay to cover essential living costs
  • a community of local fostering families who can share experience
  • friendship and social events
  • among many more benefits
It’s important to consider all of the local benefits for a better understanding, before comparing foster carer payments.

Read on to learn more about the fostering support and rewards we offer.

celebrating foster carers

foster care allowance

do foster carers get paid?

Yes, foster carers receive a payment to cover the costs of caring for a child.  This amount will vary based on many factors, including

  • how many children you foster
  • what age the children are
  • the type of fostering

However, being a foster carer isn’t a conventional job. It doesn’t fit into a box. It’s a home-based 24-7 skilled vocation which we support you financially to do.

At Foster Wales Cardiff we care about children receiving everything they need to thrive, so we split the payment into 3 parts; the weekly child allowance + the carer’s fee + additional payments.

child's allowance

In Cardiff, the child’s allowance payment is £204-255 per week, depending on the child’s age. This part of the payment is given for the sole purpose of buying anything the child needs, such as food, clothing, or toiletries plus covering additional household bills.

foster carer's fee

Fee payments are made on top of allowances to recognise a foster carer’s time, skills and experience. In Foster Wales Cardiff, you would receive a fee of £200.

additional payments

In Cardiff, we also provide a payment for the child’s birthday, religious holidays and mileage expenses, plus we provide equipment such as baby or child’s bedroom furniture as needed.

our commitment to you

Every Local Authority in Wales has signed up to what we call the ‘National Commitment’. This is an agreed package of training, support, and rewards enjoyed by every one of our foster carers in Wales.

Social worker and foster carer

local fostering team

You’re not out there on your own. You have a team to support and encourage you, every step of the way.

Support is available at any time – not just inside office hours. We’re dedicated to working as a team with our foster carers, and that means we provide support 24/7. Whatever you need, whenever you need it. We’ll be there.

Supervising social worker and foster carer

dedicated support worker

You’ll have skilled and experienced professional social workers on hand, with a fostering team member dedicated to supporting you, your family and your network.

Your Foster Wales team are part of the local authority, working alongside the child’s social worker. This means access to information about the child and other social services departments and closer working links with children’s social workers.

Two adults and two children having fun together outdoors

peer support

You’ll also be invited to events and activities designed to bring you closer to other foster families. To give you new experiences, new friendships, and new memories. Experienced pioneer foster carers will support you.

Adult with teenage boy in kitchen making food together

learning opportunities

Our learning and development framework is tried and tested, developed with foster carers and consistent across Wales. Local training courses are a great way to meet other foster carers, and we offer other resources, tools and ways to learn too.

Adult and young girl baking together in kitchen

more questions on financial support?

We'll share and explain all the support you can receive. For a full breakdown of the local fostering allowances and financial support we offer, request an information pack.

request an information pack

other support and rewards

Icon of tickets/passes

recruitment payment

Becoming a foster carer is a big step, and we’re here to support you every step of the way. That’s why Foster Wales Cardiff is offering a £5,000 support package to newly approved foster carers providing Short or Long term care for children over the age of 2.

Becoming a foster carer may mean changing your job or reducing your hours. This support payment is designed to help make that transition easier. If you’ve been thinking about fostering and waiting for the right time, this could be the moment.

Allowances icon

retainer payment

Foster Wales Cardiff provide both short-term and long-term foster carers with continued financial support between placements.

If you do not currently have a child in placement, you may continue to receive the foster carer fee for up to six weeks between placements, provided you remain available and ready to accept a new placement during this time. This payment will begin after the end of your first placement and is designed to provide stability and recognition for your ongoing availability as a foster carer.

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