What costs can arise between foster placements?
Between foster placements, costs can include keeping the approved bedroom ready, household bills, replacing or maintaining equipment and clothing, travel for training or meetings, and other day-to-day expenses linked to remaining available to foster. Which costs arise, and whether any fostering payments apply between placements, depends on your fostering service’s arrangements, so ask your supervising social worker for clear guidance when planning your budget.
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Costs between foster placements are usually a mixture of continuing household commitments, expenses involved in keeping your home suitable for fostering and occasional costs linked to remaining approved. The exact position depends on your fostering service, approval terms and whether your service provides any payment or reimbursement when a child is not living with you.
Some costs continue regardless of whether a placement is in the home. These may include rent or mortgage payments, council tax, energy, water, broadband and other ordinary household commitments. A child-related budget may reduce between placements, but it is sensible not to assume that every expense will stop immediately. For example, you may still need to keep the bedroom, furniture and household arrangements suitable for the age and needs of a future placement.
There can also be occasional costs when preparing for the next placement. Examples include:
- cleaning, repairing or replacing items that have been used during a placement;
- adjustments to a bedroom or shared areas if your approval terms or the likely needs of a child change;
- renewing documents, checks or training-related requirements where these involve a fee;
- changes to household or vehicle insurance if your circumstances or fostering arrangements affect the policy; and
- professional advice, administration or travel connected with meetings, reviews or other fostering responsibilities where reimbursement is not available.
Not every possible cost will be treated as a fostering expense. A service may distinguish between an expense that is necessary for a specific child and a general household cost that you would have incurred anyway. It may also have different rules for planned breaks, unplanned endings, respite arrangements and periods when you remain approved but do not have a placement. Approval type can matter too, because the practical requirements for different kinds of fostering are not identical.
Before approval, ask your fostering service to explain its policy in writing. Useful questions include:
- Whether any allowance or other payment is made between placements.
- Which preparation, maintenance or replacement costs can be claimed.
- Whether receipts, prior approval or mileage records are needed.
- How costs are handled when a placement ends sooner than expected.
- Whether training, reviews, assessments or required checks create costs for you.
- Which household, insurance and vehicle expenses remain your responsibility.
A practical budget should separate fixed costs from placement-related costs. List the commitments that continue each month, then create a separate reserve for irregular expenses rather than treating them as part of everyday spending. Keep receipts and notes for costs connected with fostering, and check the rules before buying anything specifically for a placement. This gives you a clearer record and helps avoid assuming that an expense will be reimbursed.
If you are already fostering, your supervising social worker can clarify how your service treats a particular expense and whether you need approval before committing to it. The key point is that the gap between placements does not necessarily remove all fostering-related costs, even though the child-specific costs of a placement may no longer arise.
Some costs arise when a placement ends, rather than during the gap before the next one. These may include transporting a child and their belongings, returning borrowed equipment or attending agreed handover meetings. Responsibility can depend on the child’s plan and your fostering service’s arrangements, so confirm whether the cost should be paid by you, organised directly by the service or reimbursed.
Keep these transition costs separate from ordinary household spending and record what each expense relates to. This makes it easier to discuss any disputed or unexpected cost with your supervising social worker before assuming that it is your responsibility.
Ask about costs between foster placements
Speak to our fostering team about how costs between placements may be handled and what questions to raise with your fostering service before applying.