Foster families shortage for Scots children

The Fostering Network has revealed today that Scotland needs an extra 1,700 foster families, a 50 per cent increase on the existing 3,300 families, in order to meet growing demand.

A survey of foster families and local authorities has revealed that children are being placed with families who are already looking after several unrelated children, are living in different areas to their own families or are not trained to look after children of their age.

One foster carer in Aberdeen, who looks after a 15-year-old boy who would otherwise be living in a residential centre, told The Scotsman he had taken four calls in the past few months urging him to take more children.

Derek Lavery, 53, and his wife, who works full-time outside the home, have been fostering for 11 years. Mr Lavery has undergone training and built up childcare qualification to work with teenagers.

"I've been asked to take on younger children as well as other teenagers," he said. "It's difficult, because my wife and I do feel we want to help and we want to take on more, but I have to remember that the young lad I've got needs a lot of care.

"I don't want to risk all the good work we've done with him, which could all go out the window if he didn't get on with another child or I wasn't able to give him the same level of one-to-one support."

Between April 2008 and March 2009, more than 250 children entered foster care. According to the Fostering Network, some services in Scotland have seen a 20 per cent rise in the number of children needing a home.

The vast majority of local authorities, 93 per cent, reported an ongoing rise in the number of children needing foster homes in 2009-10.

Sara Lurie, director of the Fostering Network Scotland, said: "Fostering services are working really hard to find the right foster family for every child who needs foster care, but with such a shortage of foster carers, especially for babies, young children and teenagers, they are faced with a huge challenge.

"Fostering services urgently need to find local foster carers for local children so that children are able to live with the foster family that is right for them.

"We also need to relieve the pressure on those foster families that are already looking after several unrelated children at the same time."

The charity is urging families to consider fostering, but also wants the government to introduce laws to ensure that foster carers are paid a wage.

It says 50 per cent of local authorities in Scotland give foster families an allowance for the needs of the looked-after child, but do not pay them a salary.

It recommends minimum allowances starting at 125.09 a week for younger children, yet claims some local authorities do not even provide this.

Ms Lurie said: "Nobody would send their child to a childminder without paying them, but for some reason it is thought to be OK for foster carers.

"Fostering is a hugely rewarding career and more foster carers with the right skills and qualities from a diverse range of backgrounds are needed to really make a difference to a child who cannot live in their own home."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "Alongside activity on recruiting foster carers, our longer term approach is to strengthen vulnerable families and prevent more children needing to become looked after through our Early Years and Early Intervention Framework."