THE numbers of children coming under the care of North Yorkshire County Council is rising year on year, a report has revealed.

Figures in the county are reflecting a national trend, members of a North Yorkshire County area committee for Harrogate district was told at its latest meeting.

On any one day in North Yorkshire, the county council will be looking after 410 children on a full-time basis. Of those, 312 are living with foster families.

From March 1999 to March last year, numbers rose by an average of 3.5 per cent, from 325 to 390 - but in the 12 months to March numbers increased by 5.1 per cent, to 410 children in care.

During a typical year, North Yorkshire social services will provide care for over 650 children and arrange 150,000 nights of accommodation, the vast majority with foster carers.

Derek Law, the county council's corporate director for social services, said in the report that most children who are fostered return home within six months.

Shortage of foster carers sometimes means the council has to buy placements from independent fostering agencies.

He said: "There is a growing number of such organisations operating in the Yorkshire and North-East region.

"These placements are costly and often a distance from the child's home."

Charges range between £750 and £1,500 per placement each week and, from this money, independent agencies are able to pay their foster carers £350 to £500 a week.

In the past two years North Yorkshire has boosted investment to the in-house fostering service, improving support for foster carers and recruitment.

Recent increases for county foster carers has seen their basic allowance of £81.06 a week to look after a ten-year-old rise to £174.