Our fostering offer

Fostering is a professional role, and it's paid and supported as one. Everything below applies across the councils of North London. Your local hub can confirm the details for where you live.

What you're paid

Your weekly payment covers both a fee for your work and an allowance for the costs of caring for a child. What you receive depends on the type of fostering you do and the needs of the child, but

• Mainstream fostering, up to £519 per week

• Specialist fostering, up to £872 per week

• Parent and child fostering, up to £1,595 per week

The support you receive

You'll have your own supervising social worker from the point you're approved. They visit regularly, help you think through what's happening with the child in your care, and are your route into specialist services when something more is needed.

Training doesn't stop once you're approved. You'll have access to ongoing courses covering the situations you'll meet as a carer, alongside online learning and specialist training for particular kinds of fostering.

Some of the most useful support comes from people already doing it. Across North London you'll find:

• Support groups

• A buddy and mentoring scheme pairing you with an experienced carer

• Foster carer associations and forums

• Coffee mornings, events and other chances to meet carers near you

Every foster carer in North London is a member of the Fostering Network, which brings independent advice, legal guidance, national helplines and member discounts and events.

Our support wraps around the child as well as you, and includes access to the virtual school and wider educational support, links into health and wellbeing services, therapeutic support where a child needs it, and local services that help children settle.

What you may be entitled to

Some support depends on where you live, how long you've been fostering and the kind of care you give. It's worth asking about early, because it can make a real difference to whether fostering works financially.

Financial support

• Enhanced fees and allowances

• Retainer payments between children

• Long-service and retention payments

• Rewards for referring a new foster carer

• Council tax discounts, contributions or exemptions

• Help with certain housing costs

Practical support

• Parking permits or parking support

• Home security equipment

• Technology such as a laptop for the fostering side of the role

• Funding to adapt your home or create extra space

• Support with moving to a larger property where that's appropriate

Support for your family

• Planned and emergency respite

• Enhanced peer support

• Therapeutic support for the whole household

• Specialist support for children with additional needs

• Local and regional family activities

Talk to us

The first step is an informal chat where you can ask any questions that you have. We won't ask you to commit to anything, and nothing happens next unless you ask us to take it further.