Hull Fostering

Fostering and Supported Lodging Providers is a professional career, and we recognise this by offering you the most comprehensive training, even before you are matched with a child or young person.

You will be taught by the very best facilitators in Safeguarding, Health, Safety and Welfare of a Child, Attachment, Trauma and Therapeutic Approaches, Child Development and First Aid to name a few.

We believe by passing on our knowledge and professional experience to you, through training and continuous support you will be able to make an even bigger difference to children in your care.

Financial allowances

A career in fostering is a professional role and one we recognise through our financial package.

You will be paid a competitive rate for each child in your care, an additional weekly skill payment given based on your experience and continuous learning development, a £500 annual bonus, mileage, babysitting and setting up costs.

You will be given additional allowances for providing experiences for the children in your care to go on holiday, cover Birthday and Christmas presents. Your whole family will receive heavily reduced leisure membership passes, Max card, special discounts and local benefits. We also pay your annual Fostering Network membership.

Hull Foster Carers are paid a weekly allowance to cover the cost of looking after a child in your home.

The amount paid depends on the age of the child placed and is to cover the cost of the looking after the child.

For example -

A foster carer caring for two children aged 11 years-old and 5 years-old with level three skills would typically receive an allowance of £2597 every four weeks.

The carer would also be awarded a £500 annual loyalty payment and have the relevant mileage and your family leisure passes covered. We will also pay towards babysitting costs each month.

Additional allowances are available for extra costs such as; setting up your home for foster children, extra payments for holidays, birthdays, festivals (for example purchasing presents for the child at Christmas).  

Please see below our fostering rates for further details.

Fostering rates

Weekly allowance rates for fostering are dependent on the age of each child in your care - 

Extra payments are also made to you by Hull Fostering for each child in your care, to cover taking them on holiday and covering gifts and experiences for their birthdays and festival, this can be paid as an extra weekly amount or lump sum –

Payment for skills - additional weekly payments

We will encourage you to continually develop through training opportunities and to recognise your experience, development and skills, we have three levels you can work towards.

Supported lodgings weekly payments for caring for young people aged 16 plus

• 16 and above - £256 and £25 (young person contribution), £281

Support Care

Each time period below is paid at a rate of £12 per block -

• 8am to 12noon
• 12noon to 4pm
• 4pm to 8pm
• 8pm to 8am

P. A. S. T

Weekly allowance rates for Parent and Child Assessment placements are £281 per parent and £163 per baby in placement. We will also pay you a £150 retainer fee.

All payments are subject to change following regular reviews.

Caring for Our Children Together

If you or your foster child or children need a break, there can be respite care available in certain circumstances.
You can access practical or specialised support through us. This could be extra help from education or medical specialists or time with sessional workers who work with a child on a one-to-one basis.

Approved carers are allocated a dedicated fostering social worker and given access to many different types of fostering support.

Support for foster carers and your family

If you decide to Foster for Hull, you will have a dedicated fostering social worker, who will offer you guidance and support through your fostering placements.
You will have

• 24-hour support 365 days a year
• have a team covering out of hours support for emergencies

We will offer you a mentor, who is an experienced foster carer and has been in the same situation as you, to help guide and support you.

You will be invited to attend any of the six fostering support groups which run monthly and is a place you can meet other foster carers within your local area, who become another friendly and experienced support network.

You will be offered to join one of our Mockingbird constellations.

The Mockingbird Model is where up to 10 fostering households come together and provide an extended family network to one another.

Children are allowed to stay over at each other houses, lifetime friendships are made and as an extended family you will get so much love and support from one-another. 

Further information on Mockingbird can be found here

It is important we also support your own children, and thank them for sharing you. A specialist support group for the children of foster carers is a great place for your children to share their experiences and enjoy activities together.

We also cover your Fostering Network Membership, which gives you access to -

• independent fostering advice
• additional support
• legal and financial advisors
• additional training
• research publications
• practical support helplines

Social events for all the family

Hull Fostering carers and social workers work here because we genuinely want the very best for our children in care. Throughout the year Hull Fostering plan parties, events, ceremonies and trips out for the whole family as well as activities for all children in fostering families. These are organised throughout the year and are great fun.

Leisure passes

You can purchase a leisure pass which allows your whole household free or heavily discounted access to leisure services across Hull and the East Riding.

Getting a break (respite care)

If you or your foster child or children need a break, there can be respite care available in certain circumstances.

Extra help from other services

You can access practical or specialised support through us. This could be extra help from education or medical specialists or time with sessional workers who work with a child on a one-to-one basis.

Training

Our dedicated fostering training officers offer innovative and bespoke training to our carers. All of our carers also have the opportunity to study for a funded NVQ Level 3 in Childcare.