Camden Council raises foster care allowances to meet The Fostering Network's recommended rates
We are delighted that Camden Council has committed to actively listen to the needs of foster carers by increasing their weekly allowances for 2024/25 to meet our recommended rates.
Our rates cover the full cost of caring for a child and are based on extensive work with expert economic analysts, Pro-Bono Economics.
Every year, we FOI all local authorities and trusts across the UK to check their allowance rates and ensure they meet national minimum allowances (NMA). We campaign for these rates to be raised even further in line with our recommended allowance rates.
Last year, Camden Council was paying foster carers over the NMA for the 2023/24 financial year but this year the allowances have been raised even further to meet our recommended allowance rates.
As of April 2024, Camden Council’s foster carer allowance rates became:
- 0-4 years, £240.32
- 5-10 years, £249.64
- 11-15 Years, £329.32
- 16-18 Years, £350.10
Findings from our 2023 allowances report
Overall, our 2023 allowances report revealed that there are huge differences between allowance rates across the country. The maximum difference in allowance rates for 11-15-year-olds per year in England was £8,470.80. In England, 32 per cent of local authorities are paying under the NMA in one or more categories and only 26 per cent are paying at the NMA for all age bands.
Foster carers often feel that their allowances do not cover the full cost of caring for a child. This uplift, which is based on our recommended rates, recognises the crucial role of providing adequate financial support to foster carers
The Fostering Network’s recommended rates
As part of our #CostofFostering campaign, we are calling for a fairer funding framework that covers the full costs of caring for a child in foster care and supports them to thrive.
Our calculations are supported by Pro Bono Economics, based on Loughborough University’s Minimum Income Standard for the United Kingdom and academic Nina Oldfield's ‘The Adequacy of Foster Care Allowances’, which includes the additional costs of caring for a child in foster care. For more information about The Fostering Network’s recommended rates, see our Cost of Fostering webpage.
The Fostering Network’s 2024/5 recommended rates are:
- £227 per week to raise a child in foster care aged 0-4 years
- £275 per week to raise a child in foster care aged 5-10 years
- £349 per week to raise a child in foster care aged over 11 years.
Sarah Thomas, CEO, The Fostering Network said:
“We are delighted that Camden Council is leading the way in raising foster carer’s allowance rates for 2024-25 in line with our recommended rates, to ensure they meet the full costs of caring for a child in foster care. We urge other local authorities to follow suit.”
Brenda Amisi-Hutchinson, Head of Corporate Parenting at Camden Council said:
“We're urging other agencies to step up their fostering support, especially in these tough financial times. Our priority is to back our carers and ensure our children looked after get all they need. Upon reviewing the recommendations from The Fostering Network, it became evident that action was necessary. This prompted us to raise our rates to the current level. We will continue to review our policy and keep an eye out for further recommendations.”
We would love to hear from you if you are a fostering service who has also raised your allowance rates for this year in line with our recommended rates, please email campaigns@fostering.net
