Foster care in crisis

Some social services departments are being charged up to
£1,200 per week for agency-provided foster carers who have, in
many cases, quit local councils to sign up with independent
agencies.

Many have left to double their fees with agencies, and the
government is being warned that some local authorities face a
crisis in providing homes for children because of the exodus.

Hereford & Worcester Council and the National Foster Care
Association have produced reports which add to the grim picture
emerging from the survey by the Association of Directors of Social
Services.

Bob Sykes, director of Hereford & Worcester social services,
said one agency in his area charges a basic £520 a week
compared to between £170 and £208 paid by the
council.

‘We have lost a number of carers but we do not use the agency
concerned. That means the children being placed with them now are
from outside the area away from their natural parents and home
locality,’ he said.

This practice is contrary to Children Act 1989 principles.