Approx how much do you get paid?

[Hels20]

Not sure if I am allowed to ask this question - but I am an adopter and my child has moved in with basically nothing - and he lived with FC for over a year.

Trying not to be too open mouthed but he has hardly any clothes, no toys, nothing.

His FC was lovely and very warm so that is the key thing. But he is so little and I would have thought he should have come with some things...so I am thinking maybe she is keeping everything for her next child because she is paid so little.

Can anyone shed any light?

[angelofmylifetime]

We are with an LA and receive £140 per child total (that includes everything).

The two children we have at the moment are particularly difficult and time consumming (meetings, meetings, meetings) hence not able to work and have had to stop working on our small business. So the only income we have is £280 a week. The reality of this means we are surviving on our savings and this can only go on for a short while longer.

[Flower20166]

£145 per child per week.
He should have came with all of the clothes that still fit him (she will likely have kept his out grown clothes for her future placements) and he should also have came with any toys that he was bought for birthdays/Xmas and hopefully a memory box.
I remember moving my last little one on, we had to send a bit each time she had a visit as there was so much! X

[PenguinSalute]

I am not a foster carer but a LA social worker. Our foster carers get paid £130 per child per week, but an additional fostering fee. Depends on training/skill, they are placed into 'Levels'. Level 1 foster carers get £106 per week, up to level 3 carers who get £400 a week.

[rainyinnovember]

I'd have thought you'd want to buy him new things? :)

[OohhThatsMe]

How awful for the child to lose all his things. I would have thought the foster carer should send some of his familiar things with him, or ask you to give some things which he can take with him when he goes to you.

[Meadows76]

I'd have thought you'd want to buy him new things? fuck. Really? Of course she bloody will, but for a child going into a new family their possessions are Important to them. Jesus Christ. How would you like it if someone took away your family, replaced them with new, and you didn't get to take your things!!!

[Paulat2112]

rainy it's not about wanting to buy new things. The op DS would have had some comfort things (he sounds young as she's talking about toys) so things like a special teddy or blanket that make him feel safe and comfortable and now he doesn't have them.

[rainyinnovember]

You misunderstand me Meadows. I was trying to be generous to the FC as it were and assume she was trying to give the child's parents the space to clothe him and buy him special things themselves.

[RaisingSteam]

Strange this hasn't come up in intros. Can you double check with FC /SW there wasn't even a teddy? they should know all about easing transition and familiar objects.

[RaisingSteam]

In fact I'd say definitely check it with child's social worker and say you are concerned. If a toddler he is definitely enough to identify with toys.

[Hels20]

Thanks everyone- of course, I can buy him stuff. But he lived in the placement for nearly 15 months - had a birthday and Christmas there and came with NO toys. (He did have 4 cuddly toys that BM had given him and they came.) I mentioned my concerns before he moved as the FC made some odd comments

[Hels20]

Sorry. Posted too soon...

Anyway - i have since mentioned it and his SW said that she had bought him some toys (but they didn't come).

Since I posted, I have discovered that allowance plus fee - the FC got nearly £400 a week and also nearly £150 for birthday and Christmas.

So the fact that my child has come with no toys (he loved a big chunky truck and loved chewing it! That's apparently the FC's) about 4 outfits that fit him (with a lot of clothes that are now too small) has just made me open mouthed. Nothing is familiar and I also can't say "that is what you got for your first birthday..."
So yes- I can buy rainy, I have no issue with buying but that is not the point at all.

Thanks for your comments everyone - am going to raise it.

it just made me sad.

[RaisingSteam]

If you know what he liked you may be abe to buy similar or a similar character. (Bob the builder was fifth member of our family for first few years). Also if you have an inkling that foster placement maybe wasn't as good as it could have been, maybe get yourself on a therapeutic parenting course in first few years so you can spot issues early. My DC foster carer was a lovely lady but I do fear they were left to cry quite a bit, because of current fears around bedtime.

[Cassimin]

I am with an agency and we get approx £350 per week.
My little one is long term but if they had to leave I would send all of their possessions with them.
We have a large memory box that we keep stuff in that they can look back on. It contains the clothes they arrived in, lots of photos, cuddlies, paperwork etc. We also have diary sheets we fill in each day.
We are also required to open a savings account for our children and have to put at least £10 per week in it. You should check if this applies.
We could not get an isa as mum has one that was opened at birth by government.
Children love to look back on their baby stuff, this is so sad they have nothing.

[AndNowItsSeven]

A small number of foster carers foster purely for the money. I was fostered by one of them. ( The LA I was from stopped placing children with them after my placement- there was an enquiry) .
Sadly it sounds like this FC may be one of them.

[Smartleatherbag]

That's very unusual, and sad. Very good news that you are giving the child a loving and caring home though.

[Kitsandkids]

That's really sad. You'd think the fc would want him to move on with memories of her in his toys and clothes. Sadly there is a minority of carers who do do things for the money. I've heard of one case where the child was always sent to contact with the birth mother in dirty clothes that didn't fit. After a few complaints from Mum and contact officer the social worker picked him up for contact and was so shocked at the state of him she never sent him back. The foster carer had received a clothing grant for him when he went into care and yet provided him with barely anything.

However, the vast majority buy what the child needs and more, no matter what they're paid, and send children on with lots of clothing and toys.

[Twopots]

My last little one was here 8 months and left with a suitcase, 3 laundry bags and other bits and pieces plus her pocket money. Pocket money should be handed to sw processed and then handed to you to open an account. At this point I was only on £125 a week with no other allowance, there is no excuse for no clothes and toys. Not all foster carers are like this, children in the majority of foster care homes are loved deeply and treated the same (or better) than our own children! I'm sorry your little one has not all they should of :0(

[Claramarion]

I am a foster carer and Looking at this along this is disgraceful I would never only send a child with 4 outfits and this alone is unacceptable in saying that I once had a child for three months who left with few toys and the reason for this was that the child had destroyed all of his toys as sadly when he was in trouble as previously they were took from him he would destroy then to stop this from happening.

It is very easy to look at things as isolated incidents

I've had children who I have purchased clothes for and then clothes have been sold on for drugs or given to buy friends this is heart breaking from a caters point of view as we want to treat he children then same as our own but when this happens repeatedly cheaper clothes then become a must.

In saying that any foster carer that does this for money alone are sick human beings this job is very challenging but the most rewarding thing I have ever done and is not a job but a vocation and I would not list the behaviours I have dealt but in saying that I love what I do!

[Nigels58]

If he is being adopted and moving from care with the council then he should have savings account.Required by all councils as far as I know.

[princesspeppa]

Saddens me to hear this. I am a FC. I had a baby for 8 months and when he moved I gave adopters all the clothes that fitted him, plus I was advised that we should also supply some new larger size clothes. I gave them a suitcase full of clothes. He also went with £5 a week pocket money that I had saved from his allowance. He definitely went with a memory box, one from birth mum and one from his time with me. He also took with him all the toys that had been bought for him. That's how it should be.

[LimitedSedition]

My last ones had to hire a (small!) van to take their stuff, including bikes, outdoor toys, clothes, indoor toys, craft drawers etc and is already weeded out the older stuff at that.

I don't like it when people ask how much you get paid and offset it against purchases because that's not what it's about, but in this case, that's quite tight!

Also if they're not old enough to spend pocket money, that AND their savings should be sent.

Pocket money and savings are pretty standard across LA's, usually £5 and £5 so a tenner a week.

[Twopots]

Nigels58 our LA don't open bank accounts for little ones as it can be a pain once they adopted to get it changed into their name so only send cash, we also don't send cash if returned home but buy things for lo with the money. LAs seem to very often do things differently

[Hels20]

Thanks everyone for your input. I raised some concerns and it transpires that the LA was already a little worried about the FC.

Since my new LO has been with us, I have discovered lots of things that weren't done - including some worrying health issues that should have been picked up and dealt with (can't go in to them - otherwise will be outed) but they were blatant.

She did finally hand over the 2 little toys that LO's social worker bought for his birthday and said what she had bought - he had grown out of (it wasn't that long ago and in any event I would have liked it) and there was no point in giving it to me (she didn't really tell me what it was).

Anyway - have to just focus on the fact she provided a loving home for him.

Apparently she was meant to hand over pocket money but she didn't set any aside and so it seems LO won't get any.

Never mind.

I know plenty of amazing foster carers - just wouldn't put LO's in that bracket.

[user1471471067]

That's disgusting for a child to arrive with so little. It's not cheap kitting out a child with essentials so close to Christmas. We've had a 9yr old for just under 2 weeks and he arrived with nothing but the clothes (school uniform) he was stood in. We were given an allowance to buy him essentials - he now has plenty of school uniform, jamas, underwear, weekend/going out clothes, 2 new pairs of trainers, a winter coat and a very smart new hair cut ! As a foster carer I know my weekly allowance should be used to buy the child whatever they need as well as the other essentials ! We have a very happy little boy who strutted like a new child into school with his new winter coat & hair cut showing anyone who'd look lol ! He also has an impressive pile of presents from Santa!