Fostering Fees Consultation

Overview

In Bristol we really value our foster carers and recognise the incredible positive impact their skills and expertise make to the everyday lives of children in care.

The council’s Corporate Parenting Strategy was approved in January 2021 and sets out our ambition to make sure that Bristol’s children and young people have every opportunity to live happy and fulfilling lives. A key priority in the strategy is ‘caring for those who care’ and making sure ‘children and young people are nurtured by carers and workers who are well-resourced, valued and supported’. To achieve this we committed to review foster care allowances and fees to recognise and reward carers for the important work they do.

Review of fostering fees

Bristol City Council wants to support our fosters carers in the best way that we can. We have recently invested in more staff so that we can provide a better service to our carers. We also recognise that foster carers need to feel valued and need financial stability and reward. We want our current foster carers to know that we value them, and we also want to attract new carers to the council’s fostering service. We have therefore reviewed our fostering fee structure to improve our financial offer to foster carers. The proposed new fostering fee structure is the subject of this consultation.