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A dedicated helpline for foster carers in Wales should be funded by the Welsh Assembly, claims Fostering Network.

The charity said up to 600 Welsh carers contacted its English Fosterline service or sought support from its Welsh office last year.

Fosterline, funded by the Department for Education and Skills to provide a service in England, does not have the knowledge of local provision or policy to support callers from Wales, says Fostering Network.

And it maintains its Welsh office is not equipped to provide telephone advice to carers.

Fosterline received 3,500 calls last year and two thirds of calls taken from outside England were from Wales. There are an estimated 2,000 foster carers in Wales.

Fostering Network Wales director Jane Butler said: “Welsh foster carers deserve the same kind of help and support as those in England. Fostering can be an extremely challenging job and there are times when foster carers need independent, impartial advice quickly.”