Can you care for other people’s children?

We require more foster carers for children of all ages and abilities. A foster carer offers love, support and a secure home to children who, for whatever reason, cannot live with their families.

Many children will arrive from homes troubled by violence, abuse, illness, drink or drug addiction. It is a foster carer’s responsibility to bring stability to these children’s lives while the difficulties are being sorted out.

Who can be a foster carer?

Almost anyone! You don’t need to be wealthy, working, married or in a partnership. You just need to understand children and their needs. You don’t even need to have children of your own.

Although we need more foster carers for children of all ages and abilities, there are certain types of foster carer that we are particularly keen to recruit. Please see the other pages in this section for details of the types of foster care that we are most in need of.

Will I get paid?

New foster carers receive a weekly tax-free allowance of between £125.09 and £215.74 to cover the cost of each child you care for. These allowances are higher than both the national minimum allowances set by the government and reflect the recommended allowances set by the Fostering Network.

Carers with more than a year's experience can receive higher rates of £164.50 to £237.23.

Plymouth City Council plan to introduce a new 'payment for skills' scheme in October 2009. This will create further opportunities for career progression.

As a foster carer you can also enjoy a comprehensive range of training and support services. We support our foster carers in developing their skills and meeting the nationally recognised Children's Workforce Development Council's training, support and development standards for foster care. We also buy household membership of the Fostering Network for all our foster carers so they can access independent support.