Single and wanting to give up work to foster - money questions

[Jacksonr]

Hi there, first time poster here, looking for some advice please. I’m a 42 year old single woman, no kids, been a lawyer for the last 20 years and currently still full time working as one. I have been wanting to foster for years, I have previously done voluntary work with LAC, so have a bit of a grasp of the system. I’ve decided to stop thinking about it and to actually take some action to see if it’s possible, so have had my first information meeting with my local auth fostering team.

I would be hoping to foster 0-6 ish age group, and probably only one child to start, but would not be averse to 2 siblings once I had built up some experience and confidence. My local auth pays an allowance of £143 p/w for up to 4 yr olds, £163 for 5 and 6 yr olds.

I understand that as a single foster career I would need to be available for the child all day, (given that at that age they would not be at school), and that would mean I couldn’t work, and I totally understand and agree with the principle of this. But in practical terms... as a single person I’m also the sole breadwinner, so giving up work would mean there would be no household income whatsoever... £600 p/m wouldn’t cover my mortgage, let alone living expenses and I appreciate anyway this payment is supposed to be an allowance to cover the costs of looking after the child, not an ‘income’ as such.

So, how do single people do this? I've tried briefly looking into benefits and understand I’d possibly have a choice of working tax credits or income support but have no idea how much this would be, or even if I would be entitled at all if I’d chosen to give up a well paying job and was not actively seeking another?

If anyone is in the same boat and has made this work, I’d be really grateful for your advice please. (Also if anyone in same situation, single person, one 0-6 foster child, is I receipt of income support or working tax credits and would be willing to share how much they amount to p/w I’d really appreciate having a ball park figure to do my sums with.)

Want to stress I’m not at all looking at fostering as a money making scheme, I appreciate my income would drop significantly if I do this and I’m prepared for that, but it’s just not even feasible to think about if I foster a child only to have my house repossessed cos I have no income to pay the mortgage!

Not sure if I’m missing something or if I have to accept it’s just not do-able single, unless I go for school aged kids to enable me to work part time?

Be really grateful for anyone’s thought and advice. How does anyone do this?

Many thanks, Rebecca

[FortunesFave]

I suspect that people who do it either own outright or have small mortgages OR they rent.

It's definitely not an "earner" as it were. If you're really keen, could you possibly sell and get something smaller? Have you any equity?

[LuckyKitty13]

Hi, my mother is single and a foster carer to two children and she has always worked full time. The children are primary school age and attend an after school club. Perhaps her local authority has different rules, but it's worth double checking if you definitely can't work.

[evaperonspoodle]

I have a family member who has fostered for years. She was a SAHM anyway, so if anything she 'gained' money (albeit a tiny amount) but the team will want to see how you can support yourself whilst looking after a baby and the answer is that you can't. I think you may need to look towards a much older child so that you can work at least part time.

[noseoftralee]

It’s also worth considering that there may be times when you don’t have children in placement with you and that you may not be paid at all during those periods. Rules seem to vary widely between/across LAs and voluntary agencies

[Easylay]

I own outright. Two kids also get full dla. It all helps

[ApolloandDaphne]

Are you sure that is all your LA pays? Our LA pays the weekly amount per child plus £240 per fortnight for a level 1 carer or £360 per fortnight for a level 2 carer.

If you need more than that then go and look at independent fostering agencies. They tend to pay much more.

[picklemepopcorn]

Be very careful. I was a career foster carer. Loved it. Supported other carers. Led training, knew all the movers and shakers and was highly respected. I had a new SW due to usual SWs mat leave. Something happened, which led to something else. Bang, out on my arse, no income, no support. Luckily DH still worked, though he had been planning to retire to help me foster.

I really miss it- I was bloody good at it. But it must never be your sole income as it can all change in an instant. A child can make an allegation which (quite rightly) has to be investigated meaning you have no income until it is resolved.

[picklemepopcorn]

That wasn't what happened in my case, by the way, though it easily can. For me it was a series of misunderstandings, and assumptions which should never have occupies anyone's headspace at all. But hey ho.

[Hiphopopotamous]

I know a few people that foster at work, and they all work part- or full-time.

[Cassimin]

If you foster babies you will be required to take them for a lot of contact, usually daily.
I am with an agency, the money is higher but you cannot have a job.
When we went through the application process we were required to show 3 years bank statements to prove that we were not dependant on the fostering money as an income.
You can claim tax credits but as you have no birth children this will be very minimal.
If you have a child with dla you cannot rely on this as it could be stopped. We are also required to prove where we spend this money as it is the child’s benefit not ours.
As far as I can see the only way you can make a living fostering on your own is to have 2-3 children but this brings a lot of stress.
We have one child, long term and if my partner did not have a good wage we would have to forgo things like holidays, 2 cars, meals out, all the things our birth children have been used to.
You can make it work but it really depends on your lifestyle and being willing to change it completely.

[LoveSatsumas]

I'm a single carer, with an agency and I work.
Check out a few agencies, as they seem to differ in what they expect from their carers in terms of working etc.

[Janepear]

My local authority allowance is £144. People have questioned me as to whether I have got it right. If you have little ones you can’t work because of the contact and where would the baby go when you were at work? It’s awful that the allowances are so low. It’s such an important role yet the allowance is such a barrier to so many people.

[Hiddenaspie1973]

My L.A pays 157 child allowance plus 70 competency per week 0-11.
12+ is 237 allowance plus 70 pw.
That is the general carer rate. We also pay mileage, uniform, festival and birthday allowances.
Our L.A is pushing carers towards sgo but then you don't get the mileage, festival, birthday and holiday allowance and they almost wash their hands of you.
But they promote it by saying you get parental responsibility.

[LastTreeStanding]

Have you decided what you are going to do Jacksonr

[Bee42]

Just wondering if you went ahead with your application and if so, how you are coping financially. I'm in a similar situation, Im single and would love to become a foster care but worried I can't afford to give up work completely

[f0stercarer]

going rate for a child with ifa is £50 - £55 per day. Generous tax allowances mean there is unlikely to be any tax payable on this s0 £1,500 per month net per child.

[Bee42]

The difference between LA and IFA is huge! Is this because IFAs place children who are more troubled or difficult to place?

[f0stercarer]

LAs will always place with their own people first but when they are full they are full and then children who need placing go to IFAs.