how we support you
support and allowance in monmouthshire
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 Monmouthshire 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 pay 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 for a better understanding, before comparing foster carer payments.
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 how long you’ve fostered for.
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 Monmouthshire it’s important to us that children get everything they need to thrive, so we’re splitting the payment into 3 parts: the weekly children’s allowance + carer’s fee + extra payments.
Child's Allowance
Foster Carer's Fee
Extra Payments
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.
local 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.
All Foster Wales Monmouthshire foster carers and kinship carers have access to our in-house therapeutic and psychology service, BASE (Building Attachments Security and Emotional well-being). In addition to this we also work with My Support Team (MyST). Find our more here.
dedicated supervising social worker
You’ll have skilled and experienced professional social workers on hand, with a fostering team member dedicated to supporting you, your family and your network.
Foster Wales Monmouthshire are part of the local authority, working alongside the child’s social worker. This means you can access information about the child and other social services departments and have closer working links with children’s social care teams.
We’ll also cover your membership to The Fostering Network and The Association for Fostering and Adoption (AFA) Cymru. These specialist fostering organisations offer independent support, private advice, guidance, training, and a whole host of additional benefits.
All our foster carers also receive automatic membership of The Fostering Network, an independent advice and support service to foster carers.
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. Experienced pioneer foster carers will support you.
There’s also access to peer support for male foster carers Men who Care.
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.
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.
other support and rewards
a ‘MAX’ card
A ‘MAX’ card, the UK’s leading discount card for children looked after, gaining free or discounted admission to venues such as ‘Lasertag’, museums and castles.
Monlife
Blue Light Card
Blue Light Card provides you with an incredible range of discounts on grocery shopping, retail outlets of all types and food venues.
Foster Carers for Foster Carers (FC4FC)
An independent group set up by and for Foster Wales Monmouthshire foster carers. This provides an independent support system for foster carers, FC4FC arrange regular meet ups, activities, Christmas parties and other events.
