If someone has been accepted as being a kinship foster carer but if being paid less than the national minimum fostering allowance rate they can write to children’s services to:
- Make a complaint
- Ask for a written explanation for not being paid at the national minimum level
- Ask for the rate of allowance to be immediately increased
- Ask for a lump sum to reflect the underpayment to date
Letter 6 on our Top tips and templates page may be helpful to use. Kinship foster carers can use this letter to complain to children’s services about not being paid an allowance at the National Minimum Fostering Allowance rate. The letter can be adapted to the specific situation and includes blank spaces to enter personal details.
The allowance should be paid from the date the child was placed with the carer. If the allowance was not paid, it should be backdated.
If a kinship carer does not receive their backdate allowance. Or is refused a fostering allowance they can consider making a complaint. See our Complaints page for more information and advice about the complaints process.