Youth Minister announces plan to increase stipend of foster parents

By Racquel Porter    

 

The Ministry of Youth says it will be making a Cabinet submission to increase the stipend foster parents receive every two months.

 

They currently receive $16,000 per child.

 

Foster parents also receive additional benefits, including coverage for school, exam and medical fees, and assessment costs for medical exams. Each child receives a $10,000 back-to-school educational grant annually, as well as a $10,000 Christmas grant every year.

 

Youth Minister Dr. Dana Morris Dixon, who is also Foster parent, acknowledged that the sum is insufficient to support each child, but said the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) is preparing the Cabinet submission.

 

"We've actually already started it. So we've been looking at the rates when it was increased, what inflation has been, what you really need in order to support our child. We will not be able to obviously pay for the full amount, but we want to be able to compensate them better because they are taking care of the children, they are buying foods for them, they are sending them to school. They are doing so much for these children," she conceded. 

 

The minister hopes the proposal can be finalised in the next two months for it to be taken to Cabinet. 

 

She was speaking at Thursday's Foster Care Recognition and Awards Ceremony in St. Andrew.

 

As at December 31, 2024, some 4,620 children are in state care. Of that number, 2,719 of them live in familial environments or foster care.