Who qualifies for foster to adopt payments?

Foster to adopt payments are normally available to people who have been approved both to foster and to adopt, and who are caring for a child placed with them under a formal foster to adopt arrangement. The placement must be authorised by the relevant local authority, and the payment arrangements should be explained and recorded before the child moves in.

In practice, eligibility usually depends on the following points:

• Foster carer approval: you must be assessed and approved as a foster carer, because the child is initially placed under fostering legislation rather than as an adopted child.
• Adopter approval: you will generally also need to be approved, or progressing through the required approval process, as a prospective adopter for the child concerned.
• A suitable match: the local authority must decide that the placement is appropriate for your household and meets the child’s assessed needs.
• A formal placement: payments relate to an authorised foster to adopt placement. They do not usually apply simply because someone is interested in adoption or is completing an assessment.
• Ability to meet the child’s needs: the assessment considers your household, health, relationships, support network, finances, home environment and capacity to manage the practical and emotional demands of caring for a child.

People applying as individuals, couples or families may be considered. The assessment is based on suitability and the needs of the child, rather than on a particular family structure. Applicants must still satisfy the relevant fostering and adoption checks, which can include references, criminal record checks, health information, financial circumstances, household discussions and preparation training.

Approval alone does not create an automatic entitlement to a payment. The local authority placing the child decides whether the arrangement qualifies for financial support and sets out the applicable terms. These may be recorded in the foster carer agreement, placement agreement or other written information provided to the carers. Ask for the payment details in writing before accepting the placement, including what the allowance is intended to cover and when it will be reviewed.

Foster to adopt payments are separate from the legal status of the child. While the placement is operating as a foster placement, the child remains looked after by the local authority. If an adoption order is later made, the fostering arrangement ends and the payment position may change. The end of a placement can also affect payments, so the relevant authority should explain what happens if the plan changes.

Eligibility can therefore depend on both your approval status and the specific child’s placement plan. A person may be suitable to foster but not be selected for a particular foster to adopt placement, or may be approved to adopt without being approved to foster. These are different processes with different legal requirements.

If you are considering this route, discuss payments with your assessing social worker and the child’s placing authority at the earliest appropriate stage. Useful questions include:

• Has the proposed placement been approved as foster to adopt?
• Which organisation will make the payments?
• What approval or documentation must be in place before payments begin?
• What costs does the allowance cover?
• Will the arrangement be reviewed if the child’s needs or legal circumstances change?
• What happens financially if adoption does not proceed or the child moves to another placement?

For prospective foster carers in Birmingham, Worcestershire, Staffordshire and the wider West Midlands, the precise arrangements will depend on the local authority and agency involved. Become A Foster Family can explain the approval journey and help you understand which questions to raise about financial support, but the placing authority confirms the payment decision for an individual child and placement.