Foster Carer Fee Increases

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Dear Northern Health and Social Care Trust (Northern Ireland),
I am writing to make a request for all the following information which I am entitled to under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 from the Health and Social Care Trust Adoption and Foster Carers Department.

This request focuses on foster carer fee payments (excluding foster care allowances) and the annual (or exceptional) fee rises that they have experienced in the last decade. I would like you to provide the details of the annual percentage fee rise for each foster carer grade (delineation or type of fee-paying placement) in your organisation between 2011-12 to 2021-22.

In a previous Freedom of Information Request (NH210521) you outlined that NHSCT operates 11 fee variations as follows: (6.5K 13K 18K 19K 19.5K 22K 24K 26K 27K 31K 36K)

1. Please can you provide the date (month/ year) when the last review of foster carer fee rates took place.
2. Please can you provide the date (month/ year) when the last increase of foster carer fee rates took place.
3. Please can you provide the average increase that was applied when the last increase of foster carer fee rates took place.
4. Please can you outline the details of the fee increase (please provide a format like the table below) for each and all foster carer grades (fee variations) within your trust, providing details of the grade (annual fee), the percentage rise, and the date on which the fee increase was applied. If no annual fee increase was applied in a given year, please state this within the table.

Foster Carer Grade/ Foster Carer Annual Fee Grade/ Percentage Rise/ Date on which fee rise was applied/ Date increase was back date to if applicable
e.g. 2011-12 6.5K 1% rise June 2021 April 2021

5. In accordance with UK Minimum Standard “22.3 The authority manages access by carers to reward payments through a clear well publicised system”. Please can you detail your publication of your reward payments (fee payments) system (e.g., web link, recent public communication, recent communication with all foster carers)
6. In accordance with UK Minimum Standard “22.4. Each carer receives clear information on any available reward payment scheme requirements of carers for development of skills and how to access increased payments.” Please can you provide a copy of the most recent communication your organisation sent to all foster carers advising them of your reward payment (fee payments) scheme.

I would like the above information to be provided to me as an electronic copy.

If the request is too broad or unclear, I would be grateful if you could contact me as I understand under the Act you are required to advise and assist requesters. If any of the information is already in the public domain, please send it to me directly with page references or URLs when necessary.

If it is not possible to provide the information requested due to the information exceeding the cost of compliance limits identified in Section 12, please provide advice and assistance under the section 16 obligations of the Act, as to how we can refine the request.

I understand that you are required to respond to my request within 20 working days after receiving this request. I would be grateful if you could confirm in writing you have received this request.

I look forward to hearing from you soon,

Yours faithfully,

Naomi Hodges

Governance, Info, Northern Health and Social Care Trust (Northern Ireland)

Thank you for your email which has been received by the Information
Governance Department and will be responded to in due course.

Jardine, Irene, Northern Health and Social Care Trust (Northern Ireland)

I acknowledge receipt of your request below.

Your request is being processed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Kind regards.

Irene Jardine
Information Governance Officer
Tel:  028 276 61415 (ext 363415)
Causeway House
8e Coleraine Road
BALLYMONEY    BT53 6BP

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Jardine, Irene, Northern Health and Social Care Trust (Northern Ireland)

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[Subject only] RE: Freedom of Information request - Foster Carer Fee Increases - Our Reference NH200722 (IJ)

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