Lighthouse Fostering Reward Pathway
Lighthouse Fostering understands the importance of ensuring that the fostering payments to our carers are competitive enough to enable the continued recruitment and retention of foster carers.
Achieving the best outcomes for the children/young people in their care.
All foster carer’s receive a maintenance allowance which is an amount that is to cover the costs of caring for a child/young person, however, Lighthouse Fostering also recognises that being a foster carer can be challenging and requires specialist knowledge and skills that is over and above the skills needed for “ordinary” parenting and due to this we have made the decision to offer a reward scheme to all our carers that will acknowledge their hard work, commitment to fostering and long service recognition.
The reward pathway is an additional weekly payment made to foster carers whilst they have a child/parent and child in their care. This payment is in recognition of the different experience, knowledge, and skills they have, as well as length of service and being able to evidence how they work over and beyond the day to day fostering role to benefit the children and young people in their care, and this will be broken down into three levels.
Level 1 – Core
All foster carers will be on level 1 – (Core) and there will be an expectation that all carers will be meeting all the mandatory requirements. These mandatory requirements are as follows:
- All foster carers should be able to evidence that they are meeting the National Minimum Standards (2011) which will take place during monthly supervisions and within their annual review, these include completing daily/weekly logs in a timely manner.
- Support group attendance is expected to be at a minimum of 50% per year for all main foster carers.
- All foster carers are expected to meet the mandatory training requirements and main carers also attend at least 2 complimentary training courses as outlined in their Personal Development Plan.
Level 2 – Intermediate
- All foster carers will need to have completed 2 years’ service with Lighthouse Fostering, and
- Support group attendance is expected to be at a minimum of 75% per year for all main foster carers, and
- All main carers have completed the 12-week therapeutic parenting workshop , and
- Complete at least 4 complimentary training courses as outlined in their Personal Development Plan.
Or
- Completed 5 years’ service with Lighthouse Fostering and met the mandatory requirements as detailed in level 1 (Core)
Level 3 - Advanced
- All foster carers will need to have completed 5 years’ service with Lighthouse Fostering, and
- Support group attendance is expected to be a minimum of 75% per year for all main foster carers, and
- All main carers have completed the 12-week therapeutic parenting workshop
- Have completed level 4 advanced diploma expert practice in work with traumatised children or other relevant transferable training, and
- Completed at least 4 complimentary training courses as outlined in their Personal Development Plan.
Or
- Completed 8 years ongoing service with Lighthouse Fostering and met the mandatory requirements as detailed in level 1 (Core).
All Carers Also Need To...
Provide a written statement demonstrating their fostering practice since the last panel date covering:
- Wider service contribution.
- Evidence of child focussed experience.
- Any additional evidence they feel would support their rise to Advanced from Intermediate.
Please note that periods on hold are not included in the calculation of service and all carers will need to have children in their care for a minimum of 36 weeks in one year. (discretion given in special circumstances)
Additional Evidence Statement
To progress to both the intermediate and advanced levels, all foster carers are expected to evidence that they are working over and beyond the day to day fostering role to benefit the children and young people they care for and have gained additional knowledge and skills to enhance their practice. (As above)
This statement will give the carers the opportunity to demonstrate their fostering practice over the last review period, which was over and above the core level.
Expectation to work towards higher levels
There is no expectation that you have to progress to the intermediate or advanced level of the reward pathway, and we recognise that as foster carers you still have to work hard and undertake complex work to ensure that the children and young people you care for reach their full potential.
We also understand that other commitments may stop you from going over and above and we will continue to appreciate all that our carers do regardless of what level they achieve.
Joint Carers
To progress within the levels there will only be an expectation that the primary carer will have to complete the additional elements needed however all second carers will still have to have completed all their mandatory training and meet the Fostering Minimum Standards (2011).
Changes in standards during the Annual Review period
If there are concerns that foster carers who are intermediate or advanced levels are no longer working to the expected criteria, their status will be reviewed at the next available panel and will also be discussed within their annual review.
Lighthouse Fostering has the right to change the level that you are on and place you down a level if you are no longer meeting the criteria and any additional payments that you are receiving will be stopped.
Appealing Reward Pathway level decisions
If foster carers are not in agreement with the outcome decision following presentation at the reward pathway panel, they will be able to appeal this decision by making a written representation, providing additional information and evidence as to why they feel they should progress to the next level. This appeal will not be heard until the next panel.
Reward Pathway Panel
The reward pathway panel will take place bi-annually and the members will consist of Director, Assistant Director, Registered Manager, Supervising Social Worker & Minute Taker. Decisions made by the panel members will be emailed to foster carers within 5/7 working days.
Once a decision has been sent to the foster carer to inform them that they can progress to the next level, additional payments will start with immediate effect. If a decision is made not to progress a carer to the next level, detailed reasons will be given.