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Download a summary of the Caring for our Children report or go to the Foster Care Resource Centre to download the full report.

Caring for our Children is the most comprehensive review of foster care in Scotland ever to be published. Based on a survey of foster carers and fostering providers, it describes a fostering service struggling to cope with the demands placed upon it. The key findings include:

  • Over a quarter of all foster carers look after four or more fostered children at any one time (in the rest of the UK there is a limit of three fostered children per family).
  • Three out of five foster carers receive no fee for fostering. Even for those carers who do receive a fee, the level does not allow many to leave external paid employment. Both carers are employed outside the home in half of two-carer households. Improved fees would attract more people to fostering and would allow some existing carers to give up external paid work.
  • Almost half of all carers are dissatisfied with the level of allowances they receive, and do not feel these cover the cost of looking after a fostered child. The Fostering Network recommends a weekly rate starting at £112 for the youngest children.
  • The educational profile of fosters carers is low, and there is limited access to accredited training. Training opportunities must be increased for carers to enable them to promote the educational attainment of fostered children.

Caring for our Children was funded by the Scottish Executive, and has the support of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and the Association of Directors of Social Work (ADSW). It was compiled from survey responses from 693 foster households, 25 of Scotland's 32 local authorities, four voluntary agencies and two independent fostering providers.

Director of the Fostering Network Scotland Bryan Ritchie said:

'The report shows clearly that, while fostering providers and foster carers are doing a remarkable job, fostering services are under considerable strain. It highlights a number of areas where immediate action must be taken if we are to prevent the service from becoming overwhelmed.

'Scotland is the only country in the UK which does not impose a limit of three fostered children with each foster family at any one time. As a result, carers are all too often being asked to look after four or more children, putting extreme pressure on foster families. We urge the Executive to bring Scotland in line with the rest of the UK and implement a limit of three fostered children per family.'