FOI Request - Foster Care Allowances

Request 101002548716

1) Please could you tell me your 2020-21 weekly foster care allowances for all age bands, NOT including any fee/reward element for foster carers.

2) Please detail any allowances that ALL foster carers can claim in addition to their weekly allowance, e.g. holiday allowance or mileage.

3) Please detail your current fee/reward structure for foster carers (NB this is different to allowances for the child). Please include:
i) Details of the levels/bands for carers and how much you pay per week at each level/band.
ii) The number of foster carers on each level/band, including those that receive no fee on top of the child’s allowance.

4) Please could you tell me your 2020-21 weekly allowances for former foster carers looking after young people in 16+/18+ Continuing Care arrangements, broken down by year 1, year 2, and year 3+ if necessary.

5) Please detail your current fee/reward structure for former foster carers looking after young people in 16+/18+ Continuing Care arrangements. Please include:

i) Details of the levels/bands and how much you pay per week at each level/band.
ii) The number of former foster carers on each level/band, including those that receive no fee on top of the child’s allowance.

Response 10-08-2020

1) Please find the requested information attached here. 

2) 2 weeks allowance at summer, one week at Christmas and a week for the child’s birthday.  Mileage can be claimed at 0.45p per mile.

3) i) Please find the requested information in the document attached in response to question 1. 

ii) Level 1 – 10, Level 2 – 11, Level 3 – 17 and Level 4 - 9

4). If the young person is working their allowance is reduced as per document attached in response to question 1.  The allowance is the upper age limit one of £246.44

5) i) They receive the fee for their level as per document attached in response to question 1. 

ii) All the carers receiving fees for continuing care young people also have other children in placement so are not former foster carers. The number is so few that disclosure could risk identifying individuals and so this information is exempt under section 38(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, personal information.