A FUNDING shortfall is leaving local authorities in the region struggling to cover the costs of fostering and foster carers, a charity claimed yesterday.
A survey of local councils carried out by the Fostering Network found local authorities in the region were paying only half of the recommended minimum allowances to foster carers - starting at £112 a week for the youngest children .
It said a cash injection of more than £1m is needed to bring them up to the required level.
The allowances are designed to cover the costs incurred by a foster carer in looking after a fostered child, but the survey found that in many cases carers are not receiving the correct amount of money, which means that either the carer supports the child out of their own pockets or the children go without.
In the North-East, 50 per cent of authorities are not paying the correct amount and an extra £1.76m is needed per year to reach the target.
In Yorkshire and Humberside, a majority of authorities - 53 per cent - are paying less than the minimum and more than £5m extra cash is needed. Nationally, the shortfall was found to be £35m.
The survey was carried out with the backing of the Association of Directors of Social Services and 97 per cent of councils responded.
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