When is a temporary foster care allowance paid?

The payment date for a temporary foster care allowance depends on the agreement with your fostering agency and the point at which the eligible care has been verified. Some agencies process it in the payment cycle following the care period, while others may use a separate arrangement for emergency, respite or other temporary placements. Your written terms should confirm the relevant payment date, approval process and any conditions.

Before a payment can be released, the agency may need to confirm details such as:

• the dates on which the child was in your care;
• that the placement met the criteria for the temporary allowance;
• whether the placement ended on the expected date or changed;
• any agreed expenses or adjustments; and
• the bank details and records needed to make the payment.

This means the date care began is not necessarily the date money reaches your account. A placement that starts part-way through a payment period may be included in the next scheduled run, subject to the agency receiving the required confirmation. If care continues across more than one payment period, the allowance may be divided between those periods rather than paid as one amount.

Ask your supervising social worker or fostering finance contact to clarify four points before accepting a temporary placement: whether the allowance is paid in advance or arrears, which payment cycle applies, what evidence must be submitted, and how changes to the placement affect the amount. It is also sensible to confirm whether travel, activities, clothing, meals or other costs are included in the allowance or dealt with separately. These items should not be assumed to form part of the temporary payment.

Keep a simple record of the placement dates, agreed terms, relevant receipts and messages confirming changes. If the payment does not appear when expected, compare your records with the agency’s written schedule and check that all required information has been provided. Contact the agency promptly if the placement dates were amended, the child returned earlier than planned or the payment appears to cover the wrong period, as these details can affect processing.

Become a Foster Family can explain how temporary fostering payments are handled as part of the wider fostering application and assessment process. Its teams support prospective carers across the West Midlands, including Birmingham, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Dudley, Sandwell, Herefordshire, Telford, Wolverhampton, Shropshire, Walsall, Warwickshire, Stoke, Solihull, Coventry and Gloucestershire, so you can raise payment questions with a local team before agreeing to a placement.