What information should a local authority foster rate schedule show?

A local authority foster rate schedule is the authority’s written breakdown of the money attached to different fostering arrangements. It should allow a prospective or approved foster carer to see what each payment is for, which circumstances trigger it, and which rules apply before accepting a placement.

It should identify the issuing authority and the schedule’s date. Rates can be amended, so the document should show the local authority or service responsible for it, the date it was issued, the period it applies to and, where relevant, the date of the next review. An older document should not be treated as confirmation of the current payment position. Ask the fostering service to confirm that the schedule is still valid if the date or version is unclear.

The schedule should define its terminology. Local authorities may use separate terms for the basic fostering allowance, a professional or skills-based fee, maintenance payments, enhancement payments and other supplements. It should explain whether a quoted figure is the total amount or one part of a wider package. It should also make clear whether figures are stated per child, per placement, per week or using another payment period, and whether a payment is shared or paid in full when more than one carer is involved.

It should explain the placement categories used. A useful schedule normally states which rates apply to arrangements such as:

• short-term or temporary fostering;
• long-term placements;
• emergency placements;
• parent-and-child placements;
• respite or planned short breaks; and
• placements involving additional assessed needs or a higher level of care.

Not every authority uses the same categories, and a label alone is not enough. The document should describe the conditions for each category, including whether the payment depends on an assessment, approval level, care plan or decision by the supervising social worker and placement team.

It should show how the child’s circumstances affect the payment. Where the schedule uses different bands, it should explain the factors behind them rather than simply listing amounts. These may include the child’s age, the complexity of their needs, the level of supervision required, contact arrangements, specialist training or the experience and approval status expected of the carer. If a higher rate is discretionary, the schedule should say who authorises it and whether it is agreed before the placement starts or reviewed afterwards.

It should distinguish regular payments from one-off or conditional items. A clear schedule should indicate whether items such as initial equipment, clothing, birthdays, holidays, school requirements, travel or other agreed costs are included in the main payment or considered separately. It should state what evidence or prior approval is needed, any exclusions, and whether reimbursement is made against receipts. A general statement that “expenses may be covered” does not explain the financial position sufficiently.

Payment administration should be described in practical terms. The schedule or its accompanying guidance should set out:

• when payment starts, for example on the day a placement begins or under another defined rule;
• how payments are adjusted for arrivals, moves, endings and gaps during a placement;
• how an incomplete payment period is calculated;
• what happens during an unauthorised absence, hospital stay or planned respite arrangement;
• how payments are made and who deals with payment queries; and
• whether the carer must submit forms, receipts, timesheets or other information.

These details matter because a headline weekly rate does not by itself explain what will be paid in the first or final payment period, or how an unusual change in a placement will be handled.

Eligibility and approval conditions should be visible. A schedule should state whether each payment is available to all approved foster carers or only to carers who meet additional requirements. Those requirements might relate to completing specified training, holding a particular approval category, caring for a certain type of placement, or meeting expectations set out in a fostering agreement. It should also explain what happens if a carer changes approval status, declines a placement, or cannot accept a placement because of the child’s assessed needs.

The document should explain review and dispute arrangements. It should identify how often rates and individual placement payments are reviewed, what may lead to a reassessment, and whether a carer can ask for a decision to be reconsidered. A schedule should not imply that a supplement is permanent if it depends on the child’s needs or the continuation of a particular arrangement. It should also give a named team or role to contact when the written information does not match the placement agreement.

Before relying on a schedule, compare it with the fostering agreement, the child’s placement plan and any written payment confirmation issued for the proposed placement. If those documents differ, ask the local authority to explain the difference in writing. Useful questions include whether the stated amount is before or after any deductions, which costs are included, whether payments continue during planned changes, and what would cause an enhancement to stop.

A schedule is most useful when it is read as part of the authority’s wider financial guidance rather than as a standalone promise of payment. Prospective foster carers can ask the fostering service to provide the current schedule, explain unfamiliar terms and confirm how the listed rules would apply to the type of placement they are considering. Rates should also be considered alongside tax guidance and household budgeting, because the schedule describes the authority’s payment arrangements but does not by itself determine an individual carer’s tax position.