Guidance
Higher fostercare allowance
The higher fostercare allowance (HFCA) is used when a caregiver requires additional and specific financial support to meet the special needs of te tamaiti or rangatahi in their care that is best provided through a regular higher rate of payment.Updates made to this guidance
What is the higher fostercare allowance
The higher fostercare allowance is an additional payment added to the standard caregiver allowance.
The allowance (enabled by section 363(3) of the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989) is used to pay extra costs to meet special needs of tamariki and rangatahi that can't be met by the standard caregiver allowances made under section 363(1) of the Act.
It's for a specific dollar amount that directly relates to actual (or pre-estimated) and demonstrable costs.
The allowance can be applied for at any time. It's approved for a specified period and can be renewed if needed. It may also be reviewed sooner if we identify that circumstances have changed and additional support is required or the specific support is no longer needed.
Allowances to support tamariki and rangatahi in care or custody and their caregivers
What are special needs
Tamariki and rangatahi may have a range of special needs that we have to meet and provide support for through their caregivers.
Examples of special needs include:
- Te tamaiti or rangatahi may be extremely withdrawn or aggressive, at risk of self-harming, or displaying concerning or harmful sexual behaviour, and require more intensive supervision than the caregiver alone can provide.
- Te tamaiti or rangatahi may have a physical or medical condition that requires extra care such as home nursing or support, extra laundry costs, or being taken to regular appointments for assessment or treatment.
- Te tamaiti or rangatahi may have a physical or medical condition that requires additional items such as clothing, incontinence products or specific dietary requirements.
- Te tamaiti or rangatahi may require access to additional therapeutic services, recreation, hobbies, creative pursuits, or skills building to support stability.
- The caregiver may need additional home help services, such as cleaning or babysitting, to enable them to provide the required support for te tamaiti or rangatahi.
The higher fostercare allowance cannot be paid in recognition of time and skill provided by caregivers.
The allowance can only be paid for specific costs (actual or pre-estimated) for demonstrable items or services provided to meet the needs of te tamaiti or rangatahi. Evidence for actual or estimated costs should be recorded on CYRAS. We use current policy to support our estimation where relevant – for example, calculating travel costs.
Supporting caregiver understanding of higher fostercare allowance
We are responsible for ensuring that caregivers have a thorough understanding of the higher fostercare allowance, including its purpose, the amount of the allowance, and the timeframe it has been approved for (the start date and review date).
It’s important that the caregiver understands the allowance is only approved for the period and need specified and there is no guarantee of further additional funding.
It’s also important that the caregiver understands the allowance may be reviewed earlier if additional support is required or if the support being funded for te tamaiti or rangatahi is no longer required.
The social worker for te tamaiti and the caregiver social worker need to work together to ensure clear, consistent messages to the caregiver.
Application for higher fostercare allowance
1 Identify special needs and the support required to meet them
Special needs for te tamaiti or rangatahi may be identified as we build and deepen our understanding of their unique needs.
The information and insights we gather and our analysis of the needs of te tamaiti or rangatahi are articulated in our assessment report, which informs our planning.
Through the planning process, we explore with te tamaiti or rangatahi, their whānau or family, their caregiver, and significant others how the needs of te tamaiti or rangatahi will be met and what supports are required to do this.
The social worker for te tamaiti develops the All About Me plan that records our plan to meet their needs and what support will be provided. This will include financial support to meet specific special needs.
Specific supports that are to be provided through the caregiver are recorded in the caregiver support plan developed by the caregiver social worker together with the social worker for te tamaiti.
We consider whether the associated costs for specific items or services can be met within the standard caregiver allowances or whether additional funding is required.
If additional funding is required and it’s agreed that a regular higher payment is the most effective and efficient way of providing that funding, an application for the higher fostercare allowance is made.
2 Complete the higher fostercare allowance application form
The social worker for te tamaiti completes the higher fostercare allowance application form in consultation with the caregiver social worker.
Higher fostercare allowance application form (DOCX 79 KB)
The application will describe the assessed special needs, the details of the support to be provided through the caregiver, the options that were considered, the specific details of the costs that are being met by the higher fostercare allowance, and a timeframe with a start date and a review date. The review date will be based on the assessment of the special needs of te tamaiti or rangatahi to a maximum of 6 months.
The assessment report, All About Me plan and caregiver support plan that evidence the specific needs, the support to be provided, and the detail of the specific costs are attached to the application.
3 Application is endorsed and then approved
The social worker for te tamaiti asks their supervisor to endorse the application. The endorsed application is then sent to the delegated manager for approval (refer application form for required sign-off).
Further work on the application may be requested and an updated application submitted for approval. The caregiver social worker should be consulted if any changes to the original application are proposed.
4 Inform caregivers
When approval is given, the caregiver is advised in writing. The letter attached to the application should be completed by the social worker for te tamaiti, signed by the approving manager and provided to the caregiver by the social worker for te tamaiti.
Once approved, the caregiver social worker talks through the details of the higher fostercare allowance, ensuring the caregiver is aware what it is to be used for, the amount that will be paid, and the start date and review date before signing the caregiver support plan.
5 Reviewing the higher fostercare allowance
The higher fostercare allowance is for the period specified. This will be a maximum period of 6 months.
The social worker for te tamaiti and the caregiver social worker work with the caregiver and the people who developed the All About Me plan to explore the effectiveness of the support being provided and agree whether additional funding or a continuation of the allowance is required.
Approval must be sought from the delegated manager for continued or additional funding. An application for the payment of the same or a lesser amount can be approved by the site manager. All other applications require approval by the National Commissioner.
The higher fostercare allowance may be reviewed sooner than the review date if circumstances change and additional support is required or the specified support is no longer needed.
Any changes to the allowance must be reflected in an updated caregiver support plan developed together with the caregiver.
Exemplar: appropriate use of the higher fostercare allowance
Mary is the mother of 3 primary school children and is an approved Oranga Tamariki caregiver for her nephew, Tom, aged 12. Tom has recently been stood down from school and, as part of his transition back into education, is now attending only in the mornings. In the afternoons, he is at home with Mary. Mary has temporarily changed to working nightshift to accommodate Tom's needs. Mary's mum, Sally, is approved as a respite caregiver for Tom and sleeps at Mary's house when Mary is at work.
On Wednesday afternoons, Tom now goes to an equine therapy facility. This is identified in his All About Me plan as being beneficial for Tom and something he engages in well. The therapy session is paid for directly by Oranga Tamariki.
Mary drives him to therapy and brings him back, which is a 50 kilometre drive each way from home. There is no other reasonable option that meets Tom's needs. By the time they get home, it is 5pm and Mary's other children have finished school, dinner needs to be cooked and Mary still needs to tend to her other children and get ready for work later in the evening.
Mary has identified with her caregiver social worker that, due to the additional commitments to support Tom, she is struggling to get everything done on a Wednesday evening and that more generally she is finding it hard to keep up with the housework.
The higher fostercare allowance could be used to:
- provide a regular koha to the equine therapy facility for additional individual attention for Tom
- pay for the travel required for the equine therapy (caregiver support policy – tamariki and rangatahi-related travel additional travel rate applies)
- pay for Mary's 3 children to attend after-school care on Wednesdays (so that Tom can attend equine therapy)
- pay for a preprepared meal on Wednesday nights for Tom and the family
- pay for someone to clean the house once a week.
The proposed use of the higher fostercare allowance would be shown as specific costs in the required section of the higher fostercare application request. For example:
| Additional needs being met through the caregiver | Comment | Actual or estimated cost (month or year) | $ per week |
| Facilitating equine therapy – koha | Provide a regular koha to the equine therapy facility for additional individual attention for Tom | Actual cost $80/month | $20 |
| Facilitating equine therapy – additional travel | Additional travel costs to equine therapy centre 100km (50km each way) × IRD tier 1 rate $1.04 per km (as per policy) |
Actual cost $416/month |
$104 |
| Facilitating equine therapy – after school care | After school care for Mary's 3 children $16 per child per session |
Actual cost $192/month |
$48 |
| Facilitating equine therapy – pre-preapared meals | Pre-prepared meal on Wednesday nights – estimated average of $10 per meal per person for 6 people (Mary, Tom, Mary's mother Sally, Mary's 3 children). Estimate based on My food Bag Bargain Box |
Estimated cost $240/month |
$60 |
| House cleaning | Regular weekly house clean to support Mary, who is struggling to manage the housework because of the additional support she is providing Tom during school hours $82 for a 2-hour regular clean |
Actual cost $328/month |
$82 |
| Total HFCA |
$1256 |
$314 |