Why foster with us? - Camden Fostering

When a child in Camden needs to spend some time in foster care then Camden Council’s foster carers are the first people to be contacted. This means that as a Camden foster carer you receive priority for placements over any other agency or local authority. You also benefit from the joined-up way we work in Camden, where there is very close communication between fostering supervising social workers, the children’s social workers and our specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service for children in care.

Benefits

• No council tax bill for Camden residents
• Up to 66% of council tax paid if you live outside of the borough of Camden
• Generous fees and allowances throughout the year
• Retention payments for 2,5,10,15 & 20 years
• Free borough wide parking in pay & display and residents bays
• Free RING Door Bell
• Paid membership for Blue Light Card
• A £900 thank you paid if you refer a friend or family member and they are successfully approved as a foster carer
• A Laptop to complete administrative tasks

Support

• An allocated social worker who will visit and call regularly to support you as a foster carer
• 24-hour access to emergency support through the duty team
• Automatic membership to the Camden Association of Foster Care (CAFC)
• Access to therapeutic support from our dedicated Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service
• Three monthly support groups for peer support from other foster carers
• Access to a monthly support group for male foster carers in north London
• Membership to Fostering Network

Training

• A specialist, tailored training package exclusively for Camden’s foster carers
• Access to the training for social workers in Camden
• Access to latest research on childcare through Camden’s links with London universities
• Shared training and resources with the five other boroughs in the North London Fostering Consortium

Tax breaks

All foster carers benefit from significant tax breaks.

You will not pay tax on the first £18,140 you earn from fostering. You also won’t have to pay tax on some of your earnings over this amount – that’s because you receive tax relief for every week a child is in your care.

Find out more about tax arrangements for foster carers.