Child arrangements order allowance

This is means-tested financial help paid by children’s services to someone named in a child arrangements order as the person a child is to live with. The allowance is to help with the cost of caring for the child.

Children’s services do not have to pay a child arrangements order allowance; it is discretionary. But if they do pay, the amount should not be less than the core fostering allowance paid locally.

You cannot apply for a child arrangements order allowance if you are a parent of the child (or married to a parent of the child).

Details of local rules and how to apply should be set out by children’s services in their local family and friends care policy.

(A child arrangements order allowance used to be called a ‘residence order allowance’; residence orders were replaced by child arrangements orders in 2014).