“In 1997 and 2001 Nina Oldfield’s research found that it costs foster carers 50 per cent more to care for a fostered child than it did parents to care for their own child. This evidence has been widely accepted and was included by the Department for Education (DfE) in their calculation of national minimum allowances in England. Costs are assumed to cover not just the cost of food and clothing, but to include the cost of transport, maintaining a larger car, a share of household costs, including wear and tear and the cost of having and maintaining an additional bedroom.”
“The previous chapter explored the costs of child rearing for a "normal" child in a household of two adults and two children. This chapter explores the differences in cost between a foster child and a "normal" child. It suggests that the foster child incurs costs which are common to all children at a modest-but-adequate standard of living and a range of costs which are specific to the child's fostering circumstances. The direct extra costs of a foster child are the subject of this chapter . . .”
“Special guardianship support services (1) Each local authority must make arrangements for the provision within their area of special guardianship support services, which means— (a) counselling, advice and information; and (b) such other services as are prescribed, in relation to special guardianship.” (a) counselling, advice and information; and (b) such other services as are prescribed, in relation to special guardianship.”
“PROVISION OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT 37. Financial issues should not be the sole reason for a special guardianship arrangement failing to survive. The central principle is that financial support should be payable in accordance with the Regulations to help secure a suitable special guardianship arrangement where such an arrangement cannot be readily made because of a financial obstacle. Regulation 6 provides that financial support is payable to facilitate arrangements for a person to become the child’s special guardian, where this is considered to be beneficial to the child’s welfare, and to support the continuation of these arrangements after the order has been made. 38. Regulation 6 sets out the circumstances in which financial support may be paid to a special guardian or prospective special guardian. These are: a) where it is necessary to ensure that the special guardian or prospective special guardian can look after the child b) where the child needs special care which requires a greater expenditure of resources than would otherwise be the case because of illness, disability, emotional or behavioural difficulties all the consequences of past abuse or neglect c) . . . d) where the local authority consider it appropriate to make a contribution to the expenditure necessary for the purpose of accommodating and maintaining the child, including the provision of furniture and domestic equipment, alterations to and adaptations of the home, provision means of transport, and provision of clothing, toys and other items necessary for the purpose of looking after the child 39. Payment of financial support under (b) is intended where the child's condition is serious and long-term. For example, where a child needs a special diet or where items such as shoes, clothing or bedding need to be replaced at a higher rate than would normally be the case with a child of similar age who was unaffected by the particular condition.”
“In determining the amount of any ongoing financial support, the local authority should have regard to the amount of fostering allowance which would have been payable if the child were fostered. The local authority’s core allowance plus any enhancement that would be payable in respect of the particular child, will make up the maximum payment the local authority could consider paying the family. Any means test carried out as appropriate to the circumstances would use this maximum payment as a basis.”
“Whilst the document does not have the full weight of statute, it should be complied with unless local circumstances indicate exceptional reasons which justify variation.”
“It is in my view plain that the Code does not have the binding effect which a statutory provision or a statutory instrument would have. It is what it purports to be, guidance and not instruction. But the matters relied on by Mr Munjaz show that the guidance should be given great weight. It is not instruction, but it is much more than mere advice which an addressee is free to follow or not as it chooses. It is guidance which any hospital should consider with great care, and from which it should depart only if it has cogent reasons for doing so. Where, which is not this case, the guidance addresses a matter covered by section 118(2), any departure would call for even stronger reasons. In reviewing any challenge to a departure from the Code, the court should scrutinise the reasons given by the hospital for departure with the intensity which the importance and sensitivity of the subject matter requires.”
“It seems to me that it is much more likely that those giving the Guidance intended that the local authority’s fostering allowances would serve as a ranging shot for the local authority’s consideration of what their special guardianship provision should be or at least be held firmly in mind when fixing that provision. That is the natural import of the first sentence of para 65and it is an interpretation which allows the paragraph as a whole to have an integrity which is completely missing on the local authority’s interpretation. One must be careful not to construe the Guidance as if it were a statute but it should, in my judgment, be viewed as if the first sentence of para 65 were the introduction, making it clear that fostering allowances were relevant, which the second sentence refines by reference to the fostering core allowance.”
“5) Look at Fostering Network research ie. expenses to look after child in care. 6) AH to check wi Maureen re fostering rates policy - remunerative element is ⅓”
“Please note that this test is a suggested model only. It is not a statutory requirement for local authorities to use this model in place of their existing system. However, we do recommend its use by local authorities, as we believe that the model developed is fair and that adoptive or special guardian families would benefit from a consistent approach by local authorities.”