how we support you

support and allowance in swansea

how we support you

We’re here to support you. That means we’ll do everything we can to help you provide a stable and loving home for a foster child.

Even before a child arrives, Foster Wales Swansea provides in-depth guidance and training to make sure fostering is the right fit for you and your family. But the support doesn’t end there.

Once you are fostering a child, we offer:

  • ongoing guidance from a dedicated social worker
  • fostering allowances to cover essential living costs
  • a community of local fostering families who can share experience
  • friendship and social events
  • among many more benefits.
It’s important to consider all of the local benefits we offer for a better understanding.

Read on to learn more about the fostering support and rewards we offer.

foster care allowance

do foster carers get paid?

Yes, foster carers receive a payment to cover the costs of caring for a child.  This amount will vary based on many factors, including

  • how many children you foster,
  • what age the children are
  • and they type of fostering

However, being a foster carer isn’t a conventional job. It doesn’t fit into a box. It’s a home-based 24-7 skilled vocation which we support you financially to do.

At Foster Wales Swansea we care about children receiving everything they need to thrive, so we split the payment into 3 parts; the weekly child allowance + the carer’s fee + additional payments.

child's allowance

In Swansea the child’s allowance is a weekly payment that varies with the child’s age and is intended only for the child’s needs such as food, clothing, toiletries and to contribute to household bills. This currently ranges from £246-298 a week.

foster carer's fee

Fee payments are paid in addition to allowances to recognise a foster carer’s time, skills and experience; in Swansea, your fostering fee is based on the specific type of care you provide.

additional payments

In Swansea, we also provide a payment for the child’s birthday, Christmas, summer holidays and mileage expenses, plus we provide equipment if you are caring for a baby.

our commitment to you

Every local authority in Wales has signed up to what we call the ‘National Commitment’. This is an agreed package of training, support, and rewards enjoyed by every one of our foster carers in Wales.

Social worker and foster carer

your local swansea fostering team

You’re not out there on your own. You have a team to support and encourage you, every step of the way.

Support is available at any time – not just inside office hours. We’re dedicated to working as a team with our foster carers, and that means we provide support 24/7. Whatever you need, whenever you need it. We’ll be there.

Supervising social worker and foster carer

dedicated supervising social worker

You’ll be allocated a skilled and experienced professional social worker on hand, with a fostering team member dedicated to supporting you, your family and your network.

Your Foster Wales team are part of the local authority, working alongside the child’s social worker. This means access to information about the child and other social services departments and closer working links with children’s social workers.

Two adults and two children having fun together outdoors

peer support

You’ll also be invited to events and activities designed to bring you closer to other foster families. To give you new experiences, new friendships, and new memories.

Adult with teenage boy in kitchen making food together

learning opportunities

Our learning and development framework is tried and tested, developed with foster carers and consistent across Wales. Local training courses are a great way to meet other foster carers, and we offer other resources, tools and ways to learn too.

Adult and young girl baking together in kitchen

more questions on financial support?

We'll share and explain all the support you can receive. For a full breakdown of the local fostering allowances and financial support we offer, request an information pack.

request an information pack

other support and rewards

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passport to leisure (ptl) card

This gives discounts at a wide range of cultural and leisure venues throughout Swansea. We offer these discounts across Swansea to help your family get out, have fun, and make memories without worrying about the cost.

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family activities and events

We host events and activities all year round so our foster families can relax, have fun, and get to know each other.

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retainer payment

Foster Wales Swansea carers still receive payments during periods when they don’t have a child in their care.

 

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support groups

Support groups include family and friends carer support group, mainstream foster carer support group, mates who care support group, local support groups & additional learning needs support group. We want to give our foster carers all the support they could possibly need.

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Fostering prize draw

We offer a monthly fostering prize draw where foster carers have the chance to win a monthly reprise just for being you.