Rewards and benefits
We provide considerable financial support to providers who accommodate young people, our basic rate is £223 per week.
Weekly rates for different placements
| £223 |
| £265 |
| £265 |
You will note that the payment for the short term placements is higher than for longer term placements, which reflects the more unplanned nature of the stay.
The weekly payments are made up of:
- rent
- support costs
- a small contribution payment from the young person
Tax relief
Contact your tax office to seek advice about earnings, referring to the Qualifying Carers Relief, under Schedule 3, Regulation 26 (2) for Social Care schemes and Shared Lives.
You need to register for Self-Assessment using HMRC. Paper tax returns must be completed by 31 October and online forms by 31 January each year.
Other benefits
In addition to a weekly rate, you will be given regular training and support to help you deal with some of the issues facing young people.
You may be eligible for a reduction in council tax if you live within the Bath and North East Somerset local authority area.
Training
As part of the assessment process, you will be required to complete some mandatory training.
This mandatory training will cover areas such as:
- young people’s issues
- confidentiality
- working in partnership
- the legal aspects of becoming a provider
If you are successful in becoming a provider, you will have access to further training.
Support
Even with the support of family and friends, being a provider can be challenging and frustrating at times. That’s why we provide professional support for our providers.
Your social worker is responsible for supporting you at monthly meetings. They will help you to identify and address your support and training needs.
When you have a young person lodging with you, you will have monthly meetings to discuss their possible issues with your social worker. These discussions are particularly important to ensure that your lodging young person is actively developing their skills for an independent life in the future.
You may also have the opportunity to discuss your role with more experienced providers to help build your confidence and share ideas.
Support for young people
The young person in your care will have help too. They will be professionally supported by a support worker or a social worker. It will be your responsibility to work together with the care professionals to support the young person.
Occasionally, the young person’s professional support will come from an external agency, such as Reach Floating Support. This is for our independent young people who are 18 or older.
