Fostering: A fair price for foster care?

The London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham demands a great deal from itsfoster carers, including taking children at short notice, looking afterteenagers with special needs, and attending regular meetings withchildren's services professionals. So it seems only fair that carersreceive a fee to reward them for their services. "There's a lot of workinvolved in being a foster carer," says Steve Miley, the council'sdivisional manager of children's placement. "We expect them to care forchildren, to attend reviews and assessments, and to supervise visits -it's extremely demanding and deserves to be paid."

The council began paying fees (on top of allowances that cover the costsof looking after a child) in 2001, although initially only foster carersof teenage children received payment. However, today all foster carersin the borough receive a basic weekly fee of 190 for theirservices, with an additional 20 per week paid to carers who holdan NVQ Level 3 qualification, and a higher fee for those looking afterchildren with more complex needs.