Bid to cut cost of foster care in Midlothian

MORE money and training is to be given to foster carers in an effort to reduce the council’s reliance on independent agencies – currently costing upwards of £1 million a year.

Midlothian councillors heard there had been an ‘significant increase’ in the number of children in Scotland needing looked after.

This was mostly due to parental drug and alcohol misuse – with the number of Midlothian children in foster care increasing by 58 per cent over the past 10 years.

Expensive

Colin Anderson, director of social work, said the council – which is already working from a high proportion of children in care – currently had 27 placements commissioned from expensive independent fostering agencies.