Free school meals for children in care

[scarlettsmummy2]

Hi, just a quick question- are children in foster care eligible for free school meals? My foster son has been getting them for the last two years but we have just been told this is stopping unless we have an income of less than 16k. We get paid less than that as carers however also have our own income too. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

( exaggerated slightly for effect)

It's actually only 480 once you take school time away.

Sorry laurie that post was directed at Scarlett.

Nine- are you deliberately trying to misinterpret me?? Do you really think that I gave up a job paying 60k a year to foster because I saw it as a meal ticket??? Wise up.

You say it is not much of an ask, but it is as others like you with birth children don't get free meals either unfortunetly. My dds meals add up to £33 a week hence the reason they have packed lunches as me & dh cannot afford it! Really only people that rely soley on benefits get them, the only people i know up the school that get them are couples that are both unemployed or single parents that are also unemployed.

Your allowance is tax-free though, so it is the equivalent of a much higher salary!

A parent on 9k has to pay tax/NI on their income, and therefore would be entitled to FSM...

have I got this right? (am tired)

Looked at from the LA's point of view, paying FCs £9k pa for 52 week care is infinitely cheaper than a residential placement in a children's home. Let's not even talk about secure.

I think the FSM issue is a red herring- the real question is 'Why do FCs not get paid a salary comparable with other caring professions?".

scarlett you said fostering allowance should be enough for you not to work.
It's not about you.
It's about the child.

I am too tired to think anymore about it. Night all.

Nine- go away. The reason you are not meant to work is so you can be there for the child. If is not so you can be a lady of leisure!!!!

Yes, some local authorities expect you not to work (or the children require very complex care).

And they don't pay you not to work - they only pay for the child's expenses.

My LA have definitely moved the goal posts in the last few years - they expect constant 24 hour care, very professional carers, lots of attendance at meetings, monthly supervision, detailed professional notes kept - for no pay.

I think tethers that they want to discourage people in it for the money - totally understand that though I do think those arseholes are weeded out pretty early on.

Frankly, they're relying on goodwill - and a little bit of naivity and goal post moving in our case.

scarlett I foster full time. I am here 24/7. Definitely not a lady of leisure!

Hello. I know nothing about this subject, but am interested in your discussion.
I'm learning from your posts. Hope you don't mind if I summarise?

The local authority gives foster parents £9k a year to meet the costs of that child.

The LA also gives the foster child's school £600 for extras a parent would normally have to pay for, like piano lessons or hiking trips.

Because the LA is the child's legal guardian, the foster parent doesn't get income benefits like tax credits for that child.

So you get £9k to cover that child's costs, but you don't get the ~£2k you would get in credits for a natural child.

So basically (if you're eligible for tax credits), the authorities give you around £7k extra to cover your foster child's costs - plus the school payment.

Since the £9k is to cover all the child's needs, it covers school meals too. You don't get them free as the LA has given you the money to pay for them.

Confusion has arisen because Scarlett views the £9k as a salary for her. But it's not a payment to you for fostering, it's supposed to all be spent on the child. It's the child's money, essentially.

Some of you are saying your LAs then tell you can't work because they're paying you which would certainly explain why Scarlett calls it a salary! But the LAs are wrong, the £9k is an expenses payment, not remuneration for your work.

Scarlett, could the school have been taking your foster child's dinner money out of the £600 the LA gives them? You need to find out what they are spending their payment on - your foster child should be getting the benefits!

Please put me right where I'm wrong, somebody, if you can be bothered. And thank you for your posts so far :)

Well I am with Laurie- the local authority are relying on goodwill and it isn't on. They don't expect of their social workers, social care workers, care assistants or teachers so why foster carers??

Isn't foster caring essentially a different thing to a caring profession?

Op i think you should look on it like if this was your own birth child. If he was yours you wouldn't be recieving any income for him except a few small benefits.
When you decided to become a foster carer i am sure it was for all the right reasons but to become a foster carer you are unavailable to work full-time.
The reason you are not entitled to fsm is because you are not in true need of them

That's it in a nutshell garlic. A couple of hundred a week to have in my case a teenage boy live with you 24/7. It sounds a lot but a care assistant would get that and not have to pay anything toward the costs of looking after an old person and they would be able to clock off. And claim other benefits if eligible.

The schools are allocated an extra 600-1000 for a pupil in care - however, the child doesn't directly get something for it at all times - children in care generally cost schools more - for example the school has to send a rep to review meetings and have personal education meetings with professionals.

Last year the school paid a third of a school trip, the LA paid another third, a further third plus all expenses for the trip (new specialist clothing etc) had to be met by the carer.

You are not an employee, OP. You are a foster carer. I'm a bit perturbed by this thread. It's upsetting to read, tbh, on a number of levels.

You are absolutely not supposed to look on the child as your own birth child (for many reasons) - they are a ward of the local authority and you have no parental responsibility.

You are of course to treat them as a much loved member of the family.

Interestingly I think it is half way between being a caring 'profession' and parenting - an undefined area.

I'm expected to be extremely professional, attend professionals meetings, advocate for the child, do training and paperwork at Nvq level 3 - but have NO rights over the child.

Thank you, Scarlett :) It's a hell of a grey area, isn't it? Obv you're not working as a professional carer because you're supposed to be a foster "parent", that is doing it for family reasons not as a job. But, at the same time, it's clear you're not completely the parent either legally or emotionally. You're treading a line between parent and service provider.

It does seem out of order for LAs to try and tell you how much you can work, when they're not making up for earnings! If you have other children, you've still got them to provide for - and a home to run, of course. On the other hand the money is tax free so it comes to more than a child would normally 'cost' ... but not enough more to give up work.

I can see why it's so frustrating! I'll butt out now and go back to lurking :) Good luck.

And by no rights I mean even simple things like not being able to arrange for a haircut without parental and LA consent.

Just one tiny example.

This isn't a job, hence the reason you don't get a 'wage'. You are helping look after a child and give him/her a safe loving family environment.
These children rely on foster parents, the whole idea is about the children being looked after

Lady- I suggest you speak to my foster son and see if he is in anyway unhappy or neglected. I can assure you he isn't. Why shouldn't foster carers not be seen as professional care workers and therefore paid as such? As I said, you couldn't do it long term, as we have, If you were only doing it for the money. You would go mad.

If the money isn't enough for you to feel that it is worthwhile then you don't have to carry on. You could of course stop fostering and become a social worker, social care worker, care assistant or teacher. You say that your foster son isn't unhappy, but I hope that the concerns that you have about how much money you get for taking him aren't apparent to him.

I know some people who foster. Some who admit that they do it for the money (who take on teenagers because they can get away with less input), and some who do it for other reasons. I feel really sorry for the teenagers in the first example, because they have significant difficulties and are being given an environment with limited emotional support and limited supervision.

Thats not to say that you provide care in that way, but maybe if other people have seen similar it might explain why people have reacted to you in the way that they have.