Foster care allowances and payments

The request was successful.

The Fostering Network

Dear Orkney Islands Council,

1) Please could you tell me your 2020-21 weekly foster care allowances for all age bands, NOT including any fee/reward element for foster carers.

2) Please detail any allowances that ALL foster carers can claim in addition to their weekly allowance, e.g. holiday allowance or mileage.

3) Please detail your current fee/reward structure for foster carers (NB this is different to allowances for the child). Please include:
i) Details of the levels/bands for carers and how much you pay per week at each level/band.
ii) The number of foster carers on each level/band, including those that receive no fee on top of the child’s allowance.

4) Please could you tell me your 2020-21 weekly allowances for former foster carers looking after young people in 16+/18+ Continuing Care arrangements, broken down by year 1, year 2, and year 3+ if necessary.

5) Please detail your current fee/reward structure for former foster carers looking after young people in 16+/18+ Continuing Care arrangements. Please include:

i) Details of the levels/bands and how much you pay per week at each level/band.
ii) The number of former foster carers on each level/band, including those that receive no fee on top of the child’s allowance.

Yours faithfully,

Isabel Roberts

foi, Orkney Islands Council

Dear Madam

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 – Request for Information

Thank you for your information request dated 15 July 2020 and received on 15 July 2020. Our reference is FOI 2020-0575. This is being dealt with under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

We are considering your request. We may be in touch soon to ask for further clarification or to offer advice and assistance if we are not able to fulfil your request in its present form.

The legislation allows us up to 20 working days from the date that we receive a valid request, including any clarification we need to make a final response. We will be in touch within 20 working days of receipt of your initial request to provide our response or to seek clarification where necessary. We hope to give you the information you are looking for at an earlier date if possible.

The Council is under significant pressure to deliver only essential services whilst the current social isolation measures are in place within the UK. Whilst we have a legal obligation to respond to FOIs, EIRs and SARs, we are unlikely to be able to respond at present within the normal timescales and there will inevitably be some delays. We apologise for any inconvenience, although we are sure that you will fully understand the situation.

Regards

Katy Russell-Duff
Administrative Officer
Corporate Services
Orkney Islands Council, Council Offices, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NY
Working from home at present

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foi, Orkney Islands Council

Dear Madam

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 – Request for Information

I refer to your email dated 15 July 2020 and received on 15 July 2020, our reference is FOI 2020-0575.

I am pleased to give the information you requested and hope that it meets your requirements.

1) Please could you tell me your 2020-21 weekly foster care allowances for all age bands, NOT including any fee/reward element for foster carers.

0-4 £142.86
5-10 £162.73
11-15 £202.58
16 plus £246.44

2) Please detail any allowances that ALL foster carers can claim in addition to their weekly allowance, e.g. holiday allowance or mileage.
Foster carers can claim mileage and up to £200 for clothes or necessary items for a new placement. A Summer ( 2x weeks re age of child), Christmas (1 week re age of child) and birthday ( 1 week re age of child) payment is paid as standard on top of weekly payments.

3) Please detail your current fee/reward structure for foster carers (NB this is different to allowances for the child). Please include: First year as a foster carer they receive the child’s weekly payment.
After 1 year as foster carer, they attend the Permanence panel, once the Agency Decision Maker signs them off to continue as carers they receive an extra £100 per week while they have the placement. Once the placement ends they receive £100 for 6 weeks, then £50 for 6 weeks. This would begin again with the next placement.
i) Details of the levels/bands for carers and how much you pay per week at each level/band.
ii) The number of foster carers on each level/band, including those that receive no fee on top of the child’s allowance. Less than 5 with no fee (new carers).

4) Please could you tell me your 2020-21 weekly allowances for former foster carers looking after young people in 16+/18+ Continuing Care arrangements, broken down by year 1, year 2, and year 3+ if necessary.
Continuing care will receive 16+ amount until young person gets job. Depending on how much they pay the carer out of their wages, we reduce the payment by that much.

5) Please detail your current fee/reward structure for former foster carers looking after young people in 16+/18+ Continuing Care arrangements. Please include:
i) Details of the levels/bands and how much you pay per week at each level/band.
There is no level/band for foster carers.
ii) The number of former foster carers on each level/band, including those that receive no fee on top of the child’s allowance.
See above.

Under FOISA, if you are dissatisfied with our response, you may ask the Council to review its handling of your request. If you wish to do this, you should make your request for review with 40 working days of receiving this email. Please make your request for review to Head of Legal Services, Council Offices, School Place, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NY or email to [Orkney Islands Council request email]. Your request must be in permanent form (letter, email, audio tape etc) and should state:

That you are asking for a review of this decision, and
Why you are unhappy with the response you have received.

We will issue a full response to your request for review within 20 working days of our receiving it.

Where the outcome of the review fails to resolve the matter to your complete satisfaction, you then have the right to apply to the Scottish Information Commissioner for a decision. You have six months in which to do so following receipt of our review outcome – see www.itspublicknowledge.info/Appeal.

Regards

George Vickers
Information Governance Officer
Corporate Services
Orkney Islands Council, Council Offices, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1NY
www.orkney.gov.uk

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