Fostering is a good will job, that requires skill, time and a lot of energy. Good foster parents deserve financial support and help when fostering children. Children are expensive, and giving up your life to give someone else a fairer start should be rewarded.

It is just sad that in a world where a serious service is needed, it is exploited sometimes. There are people out there who see it as a mean to pay for their own lifestyle, and expenses. Fostering can be made into a lucrative job.

Today in the UK, an average fostering fee per child is around £480 per week per foster child. The foster parent that I think was involved in trafficking in 1992, had 4 girls at a time. Today 4 girl between ages 12 and 17 would equal £7680 per month, and 92k plus per year. On some fostering sites, pay averages £42k plus per year for 2 children. Fostering multiple children for those with sinister intentions, can easily buy a home and car with cash from fostering children.

Aside from the cash checks, there are paid for holidays during the year, with spending money. Pocket money, and clothing money. Pay is also mainly tax free. There can be lots of other perks, like money off of activities, and other things. Traveling expenses, school expenses, pocket money and birthday and Christmas gift and activity money etc. There is no reason a foster child should leave care with mostly the clothing on their backs.

With the right motive, fostering can be beneficial for looked after children, but there is an easily exploited dark side. I know that my records are riddled with foster parents asking for more money. One foster parent kept asking for money for a bike, I left her home without that bike. I left most placements without even basic weekly clothing. I had like 2 shirts for school. 1 skirt, 1 pair of shoes etc. I had no toys or kid like possessions. I rarely got pocket money in foster placements, despite it being provided. And in children’s homes, they would use pocket money sanctions for behavior, and control.

Money is a large part of fostering, the right balance can be beneficial for everyone. Simple things like making sure that a child at least leaves with their toys and things from each placement. Not a black bag with whatever can be thrown inside like trash. Children should be leaving care with things bought with money, ask for on their behalf, as the very least.

Also accounts often opened by foster parents get left behind too. I had a post office account that had money in that went missing. I never found it. Money and financial gain, and advantage needs to be discussed and managed in foster care. There should be a gain for foster parents, nonetheless the main advantage should be for the child.

Has anyone else experienced abuse in any Church of England Primary Schools during the 80s or 90s in England, UK? anyone else experienced abuse in foster care in general in UK or outside of UK. If so feel free to comment, or email me to share information.

Sharing information is important, because people in authorities wont affirm the trauma they cause. Only we can do that by aligning our experiences, and putting the political dots together and making our own outcomes. Also through speaking about beneficial pathways, of recovery and burdens. Silence only lets bad policies, and practices that cause harm to continue, unheard, ignored and unaccounted for.