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Foster carers in Wales need allowances to make ends meet, says the Fostering Network

09 October 2007

Many foster carers in Wales will be left struggling to cover the costs of fostering until the Assembly Government introduces a compulsory minimum allowance, warns leading charity the Fostering Network Wales.

The Assembly Government has been considering the introduction of a national minimum allowance for foster carers, but no final decision has been made. Meanwhile, too many foster carers have to dip into their own pockets to provide a child with the things they need.

The allowance is a sum of money intended to cover the full costs of caring for a foster child and pay for everything from nappies and clothes to food, birthday presents and outings. The Fostering Network Wales argues that the minimum required to care for a foster child should start from £118.60 per week for children under four years old and go to £168.18 for a teenager.

According to a new survey published today by the Fostering Network Wales, nearly two thirds of local authorities are currently paying below the Fostering Network’s recommended minimums. Only eight of the 22 Welsh local authorities are paying their foster carers the Fostering Network’s recommended rates.

Freda Lewis, director of the Fostering Network Wales, said: “The survey shows how important it is that the Welsh Assembly Government introduces a legal requirement on local authorities to pay the minimum allowance recommended by the Fostering Network.

“While we commend the eight authorities that are paying the Fostering Network’s recommended minimum allowance, it is unacceptable that so many foster carers are being put in a position where they have to choose between using their own money to buy something their foster child needs or seeing them go without.”

Download the report: Foster Care Allowances and Fee Payments in Wales (PDF).

For media enquiries or to arrange interviews with a spokesperson or case study contact Becca Bryant or Naomi Westland at the Fostering Network on 020 7620 6437/6441 or email media@fostering.net.

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Notes to Editors

  1. Based on figures in the Expenditure and Food Survey, the Fostering Network Wales compiled recommended minimum allowance rates. For years these rates have been widely recognised as the lowest acceptable level needed to cover the costs incurred from fostering.
  2. Allowances should cover pocket money, clothing, food, school uniforms/equipment, an amount towards holidays, birthdays and religious/cultural festivals, travel and extra housing costs. Fee payment is remuneration for the time and skills of the foster carer, like a salary.
  3. There are just over 50,000 children and young people in foster placements in the UK on any given day.
  4. The Fostering Network is the UK’s leading charity for all those involved in fostering and exists to ensure that all fostered children receive the highest standards of care.