Member

A further reason is the allowances that foster carers get. While we do not want people to foster for money, the compensation must be adequate and not leave people out of pocket. In a recent survey, some three quarters of foster carers said the cost of living had had an impact on their fostering. Then, there is the postcode lottery: some 32% of local authorities are paying under the national minimum allowance and only 26% are paying it at the NMA rate for all age bands, which results in a difference in an annual allowance rate for 11 to 15 year-olds of over £8,000.