to think that being paid to foster is wrong

[nancydrewrockinaroundxmastree]

This is actually not a thread about a thread but rather about a poster I saw in the Post Office today which basically said "you could get paid up to £350 per week to foster". I was and then (as I do) wondered what the MN consensus would be.

Obviously it doesn't seem right that people should not have their expenses reimbursed and it would be terribly sad if good carers didn't foster for want of being able to afford to but surely offering that sort of money makes the transaction a financial rather than a nurturing one. It diesn't sit well with me.

So AIBU to think that paying people to foster rather than to cover their expenses attracts the wrong sort of people?

Personally I think FC should be paid at least minimum wage for the hours they work, plus expenses for the "running costs" of the child.

Just to clarify I am in no way suggesting that being a foster carer is not hard work or that the role they provide is a valued one, neither was my comment re the "wrong sort" meant to be interpreted to suggest that I think "poor people" are the wrong sort

I do however find it troubling that someone would take on the role for financial gain.

but I also think those that do foster well ought to be rewarded. So I don't know what the answer is....

The advert did make me very uncomfortable though.

Most foster carers end up out of pocket. If they do emergency care, the children turn up with nothing other than the clothes they are standing up in. The FC has to buy everything out of that allowance. And obviously when one child goes and another arrives then you have to get a whole load of new stuff.

You might want to read this article nancydrew and see if you still think it seems like a great way to make a fast buck

thanks santas. this is what i wasn't aware of. i presumed tehy would have teh same entitlements as a natural or adoptive parent.

I get paid £130 a week (solely for the carer - there are other moneys to cover what she actually costs)

For this I have to be available ALL the time. If I go out I have to pay babysitting (much more expensive as they have to be approved) and I have to go to at least 10 hours of training/meetings every month. I work from home and cannot do that when she is there - so the hours I would normally work (evenings and weekends) are not available to me.

I can earn £130 in 2-3 hours in my normal job so it is actually costing me £1000 plus a week to have her here rather than work.

Trust me, I do it because I love her and want the best for her

Anyone who is just going into it for financial gain will be either weeded out in the recruitment process, or sorely disappointed.

AS MI said, it's a serious childcare job. A CM would be paid more than that for a whole week, 24/7, looking after a settled, socially confident NT child with no disailities. Foster Carers care for children with severe emotional and behavioural issues, a complex range of special needs, everything.

I have worked with children in fantastic foster homes, people who clearly put themselves into making the children happy, safe and secure. However, we also work with kids (esp refugees and disabled children) who have cynical, lazy and unkind foster carers. Get foster carers to take a child to the dentist, or to a weekend arts project specifically targetted to thier needs? The local authority bribes the with shopping vouchers. One teenage boy was given £5 a day to feed himself outside the home (from cheap fried chicken shops): his foster carer said she had to make sure he was fed - not cook for him.

But the issue and responsibility there is for the LA to ensure that care is CARE -even when paid for.

Not a thread about a thread?

My arse.

Should have said I'm not suggesting it isn't a valued one.

I sort of see where you are coming from OP - advterising mnoney to entice foster carers will not get the sort of carer they want or that the child needs.

I do believe they should pay expenses so similar amounts to CB and possibly extra at the start if the child has nothing but a weekly wage for choosing to stay home I dont agree with.

Bloodymary - why are you raising your grandchild?

OP - YABU.

You are being incredibly unreasonable. And ignorant to boot, sorry.

My best friend is a foster carer for children with behavioral difficulties and I know what she has to cope with and how hard she works. It is a very, very difficult and stressful job. And infact is so much more than just a job as it is 24/7.

I couldn't do it. I am in awe of those who do. To think they are 'raking it in' is laughable and downright insulting to those who give their lives over to these children who so badly need them.

I tried to become a foster carer. It is so difficult. There are many hoops to jump through. I am medically trained, have a big flat and three children. My husband does not particiapate in child care but provides a good income. I had planned to pay for a cleaner to help as really wanted to foster. In the end it was too hard to meet the requirements without farming my own children out to minders. I wasn't doing it for the money and most of what we got would have gone to help the child.
You have to give up a lot to foster, best suited to someone with time and If they have that they can work so do deserve renumeration.

Blu, that seems to me to be a good argument for paying foster carers really well so making it financially viable for more people. Then LAs can pick and choose the best, most dedicated people.

bucharest think what you want.

There was a poster in the PO. I never usually go to the PO but today I was posting Christmas stuff and it caught my eye. The poster only made mention of the financial gain and having stood in the queue for several hours quite some time it really made me think.

Having seen the other thread I almost didn't post, but thought it was a valid point.

NoelEdmondshair

Because my Daughter is a heroin addict.

Very sad, but true.

Re allowances it's approx £100 for birthday/Xmas/ summer holidays here BUT only if you are a long term carer. Short term don't get holiday allowance even if short term is a few years

When we fostered we didn't get a penny....not even child benefit as the mother claimed it fraudulantly. SO it's not all as it seems.......we lost a huge amount financially.....but that doesn't matter when I look and see what a wonderful young woman she has turned into.....degree, good job, beautiful child-all incredibly amazing given the start she had in life. Would do it all again.

bloodymary - sorry to hear about your daughter.

I have heard of people getting paid to foster their own relatives, it is something you have looked into?

There is a lack of willing foster parents even with payment. The ideal would be that payment made the work financially viable, rather than financially attractive.

If you remove money then there is a place for all sorts of ulterior motives than would not necessarily be screened out through the assessment process.

I'd rather see carers motivated by money than some of the other things they might be iyswim.

An evangelical foster carer is not necessarily a good thing.

I don't think of it as 'enticement'. I think of it as a wage. And yes, I think this is a job that should be done as a job, by skilled and dedicated people.

Agree hobbgoblin - most foster carers do it to help, to offer support and stability to a child and make sure they have the environment to thrive

Others do it for the money and a small number do it to have access to children to enable abuse.

YABU.

I think that poster is great - I know people who've wanted to foster and didn't know if they could afford to. The wanting to foster came first and the working out of the financial situation came afterwards.

Totally agree motherinferior - people aren't going to see £350 and think "easy money", but they might see it and think "maybe I could afford to foster..."

bubbleOseven - thanks for the info.
As I have a 'residency order' for little girl, I do get a small 'residency order allowance'
Nowhere near the £350 mark of course, but understandable I suppose, after all, she is my gorgeous Grandaughter.