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Fostering

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on fostering.

Fostering - Self-Employed or Employee?

7 replies

Fosterangel · 05/09/2012 08:40

Hi - The foster kids have gone back to school today and already I am bored and mooching around the internet! I have come across a website which defines the three types of employment that exist:

"WORKER"
"EMPLOYEE"
"SELF-EMPLOYED"
www.nidirect.gov.uk/are-you-a-worker-employee-or-self-employed

I cannot see that foster caring fits neatly into any of these categories. Foster carers submit our own tax returns and pay our own NI (this makes us self-employed) but cannot submit our own invoices or work for any other agency so are contracted solely to the LA for payment set by them (this makes us not self-employed). Forgive me if this is an old fostering chestnut but I am fairly new to fostering and I have loads of questions to ask. My SSW says it is down to me to sort out my self-employed status, so thought I would throw this one out there for the Mumsnet experts!

OP posts:
BusterTheDonk · 05/09/2012 11:51

self employed

NinePeedles · 05/09/2012 11:58

This is an interesting one!

I don't class myself as any of the above.

I think we are in class of our own!

kiddiwinkles · 05/09/2012 12:44

Thats so true!

Officially we are self employed

gallivantsaregood · 05/09/2012 16:44

Officially we are not 'self employed', we are 'self-employed for tax purposes'. Ie we get to complete our tax returns ext without the other benefits of self employment!

Fosterangel · 06/09/2012 16:20

How can this be? No other "self-employed" are contractually tied to one employer in exchange for a pre-set remuneration (set by the LA). Foster carers do not invoice the LA or set their own rates of pay so the remuneration is a "salary" by any other name but we are not employees with all the protection that would offer. No wonder we have a crisis in recruitment as who in sane mind would work under these conditions?

OP posts:
childatheart · 07/09/2012 18:45

LA carers do not get "paid" they receive an "allowance" to cover extra expenditure incurred as a result of fostering, therefore although we have to register with the revenue as "self employed" it is a paperwork exercise only. How can you be truly "self employed" when you do not receive a salary--- What a nonsense !!

NotmylastRolo · 25/09/2012 11:41

Do we get a pension under the new regs coming soon on pensions.....?

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