Fostering Vs Caring

By sueandy

Thu 19 Jan 2006 20:04

Maria Eagles (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Children and Families), Department for Education and Skills) Hansard source

Foster carers play a vital role and we are committed to ensuring that they are not discouraged from caring for children by financial issues.

All payments to foster carers in respect of children placed with them are disregarded in the calculation of entitlements for income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance and housing benefit. For the purposes of jobseeker's allowance, foster carers are treated as not being in remunerative work and so no account is taken of the hours spent in 'caring' for the children whom they are fostering. In cases where single foster parents are caring for a child, they are treated in the same way as lone parents in terms of their entitlement to income support (provided they meet the criteria). This means that their potential entitlement is not dependent on their availability for employment.

Moreover, in March 2003 Home Responsibilities Protection was extended to include foster carers. The number of years they need to work to qualify for the state pension will therefore be reduced to take into account their years of caring (including periods when they are awaiting a placement), thereby increasing their long-term financial security.

Fosterline, a new advice line funded by the DfES, offers information for prospective and existing foster carers on a range of issues, including benefits.

More widely, we are seeking to improve the financial support that foster carers receive through the introduction of a national minimum allowance. We shall be consulting on our proposals later this month.

James Fahey wrote:-
Many carers who recieve carers allowance have had to give up good careers in order to look after a loved one, and the moment they do they are thrust into poverty. Most dont look after their caree for the minimum 39 hours but do it 24/7 for this commitment they recieve the paltry sum of £45.70. If they are lucky enough to make it to retirement age what happens ? the government takes the carers allowance from them so they can die in poverty as well. All carers should be treat the same, those who choose to do it and get well paid as well as us ignored carers who have it thrust upon us.