Foster carer fees and allowances
Foster carers in the Scottish Borders receive a fee for their services and allowances for the children and young people in their care. More information on the financial support available to foster carers is available from our family placement team.
The fees and allowances provided below are as of April 2025.
The basic structure for foster carer fees
| Level | Fee |
|---|---|
| Foster care fee - level one | £194.29 per child per week |
| Foster care fee - level two | £259.10 per child per week |
| Foster care retainer fee | £128.23 per week |
The retainer fee is paid in place of fees and allowances for any period of time when a foster carer does not have a foster child living with them. The retainer fee can be paid for up to a maximum of eight weeks.
When a carer has a child living with them, they receive the appropriate fees and allowances but not the retainer fee.
The basic structure for foster carer allowances
| Age range | Allowance |
|---|---|
| 0-4 years | £171.17 per child per week |
| 5-15 years | £199.14 per child per week |
| 16+ years | £272.97 per child per week |
We will continue to pay foster carers and kinship carers on a 56-week annual basis. The additional four weeks payments are provided to meet the cost of the following:
- birthday allowance is one week’s allowance, for example for a 0–4-year-old, the amount will be £171.17
- summer allowance is two week’s allowance
- Christmas allowance is one week’s allowance.
More information
If you are interested in learning more about fostering in the Scottish Borders, or think you could offer a foster home to a child in need, contact our family placement team.
Family placement team
Adoption, fostering and family placement
Address: