Compassionate Hampshire people interested in fostering a vulnerable child are being reminded of the financial support provided to foster carer.

With the cost of living hitting hard for many, there may be prospective carers in Hampshire who would love to open their homes to foster children but are worried about the potential financial impact.

Hampshire County Council is highlighting the support available and encouraging anyone considering fostering not to be put off by worries about the cost of caring for a child.

Councillor Edward Heron, the County Council’s Cabinet Lead Member for Children’s Services, said: “We don’t want the current challenging economic climate to be a barrier for those who are interested in joining our community of foster families across Hampshire.

“We want to be open about the financial support available as we urgently need more foster families to come forward across the county. I would encourage anyone thinking about it to talk to our team to find out more.”

Throughout the fostering journey, foster carers receive ongoing financial support and plenty of training opportunities to help them become the best foster carer they can be. Basic fostering allowances are designed to cover the day-to-day cost of caring for a child or young person. They range from just over £171 a week for children aged 0-1 years old, rising to almost £290 for young people aged over 16.

Additional skills fees are also payable, along with allowances which include extra payments for special expenses, such as Christmas or for a child’s birthday.

Foster carers from across Hampshire have been sharing their stories about fostering and how this support enables them to offer vital care to vulnerable children.

John, a foster carer from Hedge End, said: “The fostering allowance enables us to be foster carers. It’s not a replacement for work, it’s something we want to do for our family and for the community. We use the allowance to create experiences and memories.”

Anthony, a foster carer from Totton said: “Although foster carers do this as a passion, they need to have that financial support to enable them to really look after that child in the way they would want to treat their own children.

“The fostering allowance for supporting the child can cover a multitude of things including activities for them, their clothing and everything that day-to-day life involves. That income helps to support the day-to-day costs of running the house, so it’s critical.”

Our trained recruitment team is keen to talk to anyone who is interested in becoming a foster carer and wants loving, compassionate carers to know that financial issues don’t have to hold them back if this is something they really want to do.

To find out more about becoming a foster carer, visit the Fostering Hampshire Children website and download an information pack, or call the team on 01489 587052.

 

Hampshire currently has over 450 fostering households. Fostering Hampshire Children is part of Hampshire County Council and finds and assesses new foster carers as well as provides support to current foster carers. Find out more.