The charity welcomed the cash injection from the Scottish Executive but said a 'properly-funded system of national minimum allowances' was needed to ensure that carers were no longer obliged to subsidise vulnerable children out of their own pockets.
The Fostering Network's recommended minimum allowances, published annually, state that they should start at 108.49 per week for a baby and vary according to the age of the child. But a Network survey found that actual allowances for the youngest children start at 60 a week.
According to the Executive, the average cost per child for foster care is approximately 209 per week, while residential care costs about 1,323 per week.
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