Decision Maker: Corporate Director Children and Young People's Services
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: Yes
Is subject to call in?: Yes
To agree Payment Rates for NYCC Foster Carers for the financial year 2022/23
1. That the 2022/23 Payment Rates for NYCC Foster Carers (including Family & Friends Foster Carers, Short Break and Specialist Short Break Carers and Staying Put arrangements) be increased by 5.4% (in line with the December 2021 rate of CPI) of the 2021/22 Payment Rates.
2. That the Day Care rate of £7.13 per hour be increased to £7.60 per hour (to keep in line with 80% of the level of the National Living Wage being introduced in April 2022).
The Council is a member of the national charity Fostering Network who, in recent years, has published their recommended Payment Rates for Foster Carers which North Yorkshire has always adopted. Primarily due to the increasing differentials in housing costs across the country, the Fostering Network is no longer recommending Payment Rates and has instead issued guidance that allowances should be reviewed annually and adjusted to keep up with costs with at least the annual rate of inflation being applied. The Fostering Network does not indicate which would be their recommended or preferred measure of inflation.
Since December 2015 North Yorkshire has increased fostering payments by the rate of CPI each December.
None
Publication date: 09/03/2022
Date of decision: 08/03/2022
Effective from: 18/03/2022