Kent County Council: foster carer allowances 2026-27.

Kent County Council publishes the weekly allowances it pays its own foster carers: £210 to £320.92 per child for 2026-27, plus a fee for the carer. These are the council’s figures, taken from its website on 29 October 2026.

Kent's 2026-27 rates, set by a Cabinet Member decision made in April 2026, pay a weekly maintenance allowance for each child across five age bands. Carers looking after children who are not related to them also receive a weekly reward payment, which is higher for children aged 9 and over, plus skills and disability payments where these apply.

Weekly allowance by age

Kent County Council weekly fostering allowance by age band, 2026-27
Age of child	Per week
Under 2 years	£210
2 to 4 years	£218.62
5 to 10 years	£240.15
11 to 15 years	£274.62
Over 16 years	£320.92

Fees paid to the carer

For children who are not related to the carer, Kent adds a weekly reward payment set by the child's age, with extra weekly skills payments for carers at Level 2 or Level 3 and a disability enhancement where it applies.

Kent County Council weekly fostering fees, 2026-27
Level	Per week
Reward element, child aged 0 to 8Non-related placements	£156.70
Reward element, child aged 9 to 18Non-related placements	£297.64
Skills based payment: Skilled (Level 2)Paid on top of the reward element	£28.09
Skills based payment: Advanced (Level 3)Paid on top of the reward element	£70.15
Disability enhancement (standard)	£89.30
Disability enhancement (enhanced)	£119.06

Also published by the council

A one-off £100 payment towards clothing and toiletries for newly arrived unaccompanied asylum-seeking children
Mileage at 45p a mile
Hourly rate of £13.21 for sessional work and day care

How this compares

The national minimum allowance in England is £176 to £309 a week depending on the child’s age and the region (GOV.UK, 2026-27). The allowance covers the child’s costs; any fee is the part that is for you, and it is where councils and independent agencies differ most.

Independent agencies covering the same area publish their own weekly totals, often higher, with more expected of the carer. Use the pay calculator to see a year’s figure and the tax relief, or compare what services publish.

Thinking about fostering here? Compare every service that covers the area: Fostering agencies in Kent (24).

Source

Record of Decision 26/00004: Proposed Revisions of Rates Payable and Charges Levied by Kent County Council for Children's Social Care Services in 2026-27, checked 29 October 2026. Councils usually change their rates each April; if this page is out of date, tell us and we will correct it.