How Much Do Foster Parents Get Paid?
To foster means to help someone in the process of growing and developing. Foster care is a place where care and shelter are provided to those needy children who cannot stay with their parents, due to certain reasons. Foster care is a temporary care facility and children go back to their homes, once their real parents sort out the problem. Only in few cases, it is seen that children do not return to their birth families. Running a foster care is a noble task. You get to give a new direction to each child’s life. Probably, you are thinking of becoming a foster parent and that is the reason you have landed up on this page. We will explain you everything regarding – How much do foster parents get paid? How do you become a foster parent?
How much do foster parents make?
First of all, let us tell you that if you are fostering only for making money, you will never be able to understand with the joy of such a good deed. You need to be a person who is compassionate towards children and who can work for the betterment of the society. Moving further, the state has defined the pay for different criteria in fostering. They are as follows:
Base Rate Payment
Base rate payment is a payment made to the foster parents for providing the basic needs of children in their foster home. This enlists the following:
Food – This includes the cost of all the purchase done to fulfil the nutritional needs of children or adolescents in the foster care.
Clothing– Purchase and Replacement of clothes are covered under this.
Housing – This includes the cost of maintaining the household furniture, utilities and equipments.
Personal expenses– These cover payments for reading materials, entertainment, personal care items, and other miscellaneous products.
Transportation – This includes the cost of arranging transport, cost of oil and gas, vehicle maintenance and also cost of transport for all the extracurricular activities of the children.
- The base rate payment for children in the age group of 0-5 years is 575 USD, per month.
- The base rate payment for children in the age group of 6-12 years is 655 USD, per month.
- The base rate payment for children in the age group of 13-20 years is 741 USD, per month.
Shelter Care Payment
A certified family can obtain this kind of payment only for first 20 days out of the entire time of a child or an adolescent in the custody of the department. The payment for such a substitute care can be done only once during the whole time a particular child lives in the foster care. The money cannot be paid every time when a child is moved.
- For children of 0-5 years of age, the payment is 24.60 USD, per day.
- For children of 6-12 years of age, the payment is 28.00 USD, per day.
- For children of 13-20 years of age, the payment is 31.60 USD, per day.
Enhanced Shelter Payment
A certified family is reimbursed with such a kind of payment on behalf of young adults or children for the first 20 days if they are placed with a Behavioral Rehabilitation Service Provider. The payment rate is as follows:
- For children in the age group of 0-5 years, it is 24.90 USD, per day.
- For children in the age group of 6-12 years, it is 33.50 USD, per day.
- For children in the age group of 13-20 years, it is 37.90 USD, per day.
CANS level of care
CANS level of care means Child and Adolescent Needs and Strength payment. This type of payment is made to a certified family, adoptive family, pre-adoptive family, or a guardian. The amount to be paid depends on the need of enhanced supervision for a child, which is decided by a screening test of CANS.
This type of arrangement means additional support and care of a child for his/her safety and well-being. The different levels of payment are as follows:
- 212 USD per month for level 1 of moderate needs.
- 414 USD per month for level 2 of intermediate needs.
- 850 USD per month for level 3 of advanced needs.
Personal Care Services
This type of payment is made to a qualified provider of healthcare and personal care facilities to children and young adults. The payment rates are as follows:
- For level 1 of moderate care, 207 USD can be paid, per month.
- For level 2 of intermediate care, 413 USD can be paid, per month.
- For level 3 of advanced care, 620 USD can be paid, per month.
- For level 4 of intensive care, the rate depends on the level of frequency and intensity of the service provided.
Mileage Reimbursement
A certified family can obtain a reimbursement for mileage from the department. Following are the required criteria for mileage reimbursement:
- When transportation is provided by the foster parents to the children or young adults, so that they remain in the same school in which they were before coming to foster care.
- If family visit is also a part of the service plan, the to and fro transport cost can be reimbursed.
- If the child is transported by airlines, it will be approved only if the total air-fare charges do not account for more than the cost incurred by traveling through car.
How to become a foster parent?
Anyone can become a foster parent, no matter he/she is married, single or a divorced. They can be young or old and can have a job outside their homes or inside. Before people become foster parents/carers, their homes are checked, thoroughly. Then they have to undergo some training. In the end, a written test is also required. Also, the foster parents should be calm and compassionate. They have to take care of all the emotional aspects of the foster kids.
This was all about becoming a foster parent and the payments to be received on becoming one. In case of any query or suggestion, feel free to let us know by dropping a comment in the box given below.