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The Fostering Network has issued a warning to the Scottish Government that foster children will not have all their basic needs met unless they receive proper financial support.

All foster carers receive a weekly allowance, which is designed to cover the costs of caring for a fostered child, from clothing to food and toys to books.

However, the charity has published the results of a new survey, which found that in 2011-12, 69% of local authorities gave their foster carers allowances below the Fostering Network’s recommended rates.

The Fostering Network’s recommended minimum allowances start at around £130 per week and increase with the age of the child, and are largely accepted as the benchmark for the costs incurred as the result of fostering.

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland there are recommended minimum allowance levels set by governments. But in Scotland, while guidance suggests local authorities should pay attention to the Fostering Network’s recommended minimum rates when setting their own allowances, the Scottish Government does not enforce this and local authorities are free to set their own allowances. This means children in neighbouring councils could be treated very differently with some receiving as much as £100 more a week.

Over 5,000 children were living with 3,300 foster families on 31 July 2011 in Scotland, which is an increase of 7% over the same time the previous year.

The Fostering Network is now urging the Scottish Government to introduce a statutory minimum allowance for all fostered children and to ensure that local authorities are properly funded to pay this rate to all foster carers.

Scotland’s Chief Statistician has recently published the latest statistics relating to children in care and child protection.

Key findings of the publication include:

• At the end of July 2011 there were 16,171 children looked after by local authorities, an increase of 2% over the same period in 2010. The number of looked after children has increased every year since 2001, and is at its highest since 1981.
• There were 3,662 young people reported to be eligible for aftercare services on 31st July 2011. Around 36% of those receiving aftercare and who had a known economic activity were in education, training or employment, a decrease of 1% over 31st July 2010.
• At 31st July 2011 there were 1,810 children and young people under 21 years old being looked after on a current planned series of short term placements.

The data also shows that:

• At 31st July 2011, there were 2,571 children on Child Protection Registers, a 2% increase over the previous year.
• In 2010/11, the total number of registrations on to child protection registers rose by 9% (from 3,551 in 2009/10 to 3,884 in 2010/11), whereas the total number of de-registrations showed no change compared with the previous year.

Barnardo’s Scotland is issuing a desperate plea for people to put themselves forward as potential foster carers – particularly for older children.

While there is considerable focus on placing babies and younger children, the charity highlights the needs of older children. There needs to be a range of placements so that the system works for all children and young people.

Barnardo’s Scotland acting director, SallyAnn Kelly, said:

“All children and young people deserve and need a loving home in order to thrive. We urgently need more people to consider becoming foster parents to children over the age of ten.

We know from our experience that older children in care can need extra support. They need carers who can help them overcome emotional and behavioral difficulties, and provide much needed stability.”

There is a general shortage of foster families across Scotland, with at least 1,700 new foster families needing to be found within the next 12 months.

The situation is particularly worrying as the number of children in care who need foster families has continued to increase year on year, but the number of carers coming forward has not matched the need. Figures from the Fostering Network show that the number of children in care in the UK living with foster families at any one time has risen every year since 2005, from 49,700 to over 59,000 in 2011.

Scotland's new centre for improving the lives of looked after children, and enhancing their future prospects, has been officially launched.

A couple from Dundee have been told that four of their seven children may be taken away from them because the children are too overweight, reports the Telegraph.