Mileage and transport for foster carers

The care planning for each child or young person in foster care will cover the plan relating to their school or college transport arrangements and also, where relevant, for contact meetings.

The individual specification requirements for fostering framework contracts, between independent fostering agencies and local authorities, often refers to the foster carer either providing unlimited transport for each child or young person within 20 miles (from the foster carer’s postcode) or there can be a limit of up to 200 miles per week for each child or young person. These arrangements are then reflected at the placement matching stage for the child or young person and their care documentation.

The requirements are easy to specify, and it is expected that foster carers will provide support for transport where possible, however there are practical arrangements to consider. For example, does the foster carer have the time to drive, this is around their employment or any other work. This can be more relevant for single carers. It can also be challenging if there is a sibling group or more than 1 child with different schools or college locations.

Not all foster carer drive or have access to a car, there can be alternative support arrangement using a taxi for transport for the child to and from school. This does incur a cost which would need considering at the outset.

For contact arrangements, it is important to consider how regular meetings are held, the distance involved and mileage.

If the young person is old enough and there is confidence on their safety, the young person may use school transport or use the local public transport which can help.

For a child or young person with enhanced needs or challenging behavior, a taxi or other safe transport maybe the preferred and best option.

The overriding message is to consider transport arrangements at the outset for new placements. For people considering becoming foster carers, it is an area to consider and think about for your approval terms and if you can support transport directly yourself or not.

Do you want to foster with Beacon Fostering and become a part of the Beacon Fostering family? Click here to request a call from a member of our recruitment team