Azerbaijan has placed 91 children with foster families, while monthly state allowances range from 355 to 650 manats depending on the child’s age and disability status.
The children include 51 girls and 40 boys, according to the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection. Placements are managed by the Social Services Agency, which operates under the ministry.
For a child up to age 6, the monthly payment is 355 manats, about $209. The allowance rises to 500 manats, about $294, if the child has a disability.
For children ages 7 to 13, the monthly amounts are 375 manats, about $221, or 600 manats, about $353, for a child with a disability. For those ages 14 to 18, the payments are 395 manats, about $232, and 650 manats, about $382, respectively.
The 650-manat figure is therefore the maximum monthly payment for an older child with a disability, not a standard allowance paid to every foster family.
Quarterly Clothing Allowance
Foster families also receive 200 manats, about $118, per child once each quarter to purchase seasonal clothing. Over four quarterly payments, that amounts to 800 manats, about $471, a year.
The foster-care model is intended to allow children who lack parental care or have been placed in institutions to grow up in a family environment under state supervision. The original Russian-language report was published by Vesti Baku.