Do council fostering allowance rates change when caring for siblings?

Sibling status alone does not normally create a separate standard allowance rate. Instead, the fostering service will usually calculate payments by considering each child’s approved allowance, the number of children placed, and any agreed additional support. This means caring for siblings can increase the overall amount received because there is more than one child, but the payment is not necessarily a single higher “sibling rate”.

Each child’s allowance is intended to help meet their day-to-day costs, such as food, clothing, personal items, travel and activities. Where siblings have different ages, routines or needs, their individual rates may not be identical. For example, one child may require equipment, transport or other agreed expenditure that does not apply to their brother or sister.

A fostering service may also have specific arrangements for sibling groups. These could relate to:

• additional costs arising from caring for several children together;
• the size and type of accommodation or equipment needed;
• transport to school, contact arrangements, appointments and activities;
• support for children with disabilities, health needs or complex behaviours; and
• one-off costs agreed as part of the placement plan.

These arrangements are not automatic and may depend on the local authority’s policy, the children’s assessed needs and the terms agreed with the fostering service. A sibling placement can also involve different practical demands from caring for unrelated children, such as maintaining each child’s individual routines while supporting their relationship. Those demands should be discussed during the assessment and matching process, rather than assumed to be covered by the basic allowance.

Before accepting a sibling placement, ask for a written breakdown covering the allowance for each child, any fostering fee or professional payment, additional payments, and which expenses must be claimed separately. It is also useful to clarify how costs such as school items, clothing, travel, activities and contact journeys are handled.

Payments may be reviewed if a child’s circumstances change or if new needs are identified during the placement. A change affecting one sibling may therefore alter that child’s payment without changing the allowance for the others. Speak to the fostering service for the current policy and ask how the proposed placement would be funded before agreeing to it.