Foster carers “short-changed”

Just under half of councils in England are “short
changing” foster carers under the current allowance system,
revealed the Fostering Network, writes Shirley
Kumar.

In a survey of 113 councils, 46 per cent were found to be paying
below the FN recommended minimum rates. The worst offenders were
the Midlands (100 per cent), followed by the north east (88 per
cent) and Yorkshire and Humberside (70 per cent).

The charity is calling for the amendment to introduce a national
minimum fostering allowance in England to remain in the
Children’s Bill, being discussed at committee stage in the
House of Commons this week.

A separate survey in Wales found six out of 12 councils were
paying the recommended rate or above, a marked improvement from
2003.

The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) has launched an
online good practice guide on fostering for councils and
agencies.

It is available free from www.scie.org.uk/publications.