Fostered young people have highlighted significant gaps between policy and practice, a report by the Commission for Social Care Inspection has revealed.

More than a quarter of foster children said they were not asked about their care plan, despite regulations stating that, subject to age and understanding, they should be involved when plans are drawn up and reviewed.

And more than a quarter didn't know what their care plan said, according to research by Dr Roger Morgan, children's rights director at the commission.

"Local authorities might argue that children were consulted and have forgotten but I still think it's worrying that this is the answer," said Morgan.

Two-thirds of foster children also said they had no choice in the decision of which foster home they were placed in. And a third of foster children said they were not told enough about their current fostering family before they moved there.

"Looked-after children in a lot of my studies say they need choice, information and a back-up option if a placement doesn't work out. But often they don't feel that they have these three things," said Morgan.

The study showed that children often thought that if social workers did better at getting placements right first time, it would make foster care better, while foster carers thought being given better payment would make foster care better.

Bullying was another issue highlighted by young people. Nearly a quarter said they had been bullied because they lived in foster care. But some had been bullied less than they had been before they came into foster care.

"Children would like carers, staff and schools to be aware that being in care is something that can be picked up by bullies," said Morgan.

On a positive note, the majority of foster children said they were treated much the same by their carers as their foster carers' own children. However, foster carers themselves thought there were more differences in how they treated their foster children compared to their birth children.

Children wanted their social workers to do more to help them with problems, to help them keep in touch with their families, to visit them more often and not to change so often.

- Being Fostered: a national survey of foster children, foster carers and birth parents about foster care, is at www.rights4me.org.uk.