Britain faces a critical shortage of foster carers. At the last count, the Fostering Network estimated that 7,800 more foster parents were needed. Without them, it says, more and more vulnerable children would have to live in overcrowded homes or be shifted from parent to parent.
One major reason for this shortfall, the charity believes, is that potential carers are deterred from entering the profession because they are not adequately reimbursed for the cost of bringing up often troublesome children.
The Fostering Network claims that foster parents in around two-thirds of local authorities do not receive a weekly allowance that fully covers the cost of bringing up a child. For a child under four, a parent outside London should be receiving £105.74 a week, it says - rising to £189.48 for children over 16. But some authorities are providing as little as £50 a week for the youngest children.
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