Foster parents in Salford will receive a massive boost to their allowance, ending a decade long freeze on fees.
Rates for carers will increase by 40 per cent, bringing Salford more in line with other local authorities.
Salford currently has one of the lowest rates in the country with carers receiving between £187 and £316 per week per child. The national UK average is £450 according to foster organisation By the Bridge.
There are currently 226 fostering households in Salford, with numbers slowly dwindling. In the last year, 18 Salford foster parents have left the network with only 11 new carers added to replace them.
Councillors hope the increase will stimulate interest in the foster programme, allowing them to retain more of their current homes and attract new carers.
Andy Elvin, CEO of fostering and adoption charity TACT, said: “We welcome foster carers being properly financially supported by local authorities and applaud Salford for doing this.
He said: “Fees are just one element of how you recruit and retain carers. It is vital that Salford also ensures there is good support for carers”.
Salford foster parents receive a basic rate based on the national minimum standard with additional fees paid to carers who are trained to deal with more challenging situations. There are four skill levels, with carers on level two and above seeing the increased benefit.
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