Rising demand for foster care triggers new £8.9m cash crisis

Rising demand for foster care triggers new £8.9m cash crisis

A RISE in demand for foster care places in the Capital has led to a fresh cash crisis for the council's biggest department.

The children and families department is on target to spend £8.9 million more than it budgeted for an increase of almost 20 per cent in placements over the past year. It is now likely that savings will be sought in other areas to balance the books. Around a third of the 300 foster carers employed through Edinburgh City Council are based outside the city boundaries due to a shortage of carers in the Capital, but the increasing demand for services means that the council cannot currently afford to place any extra children in foster care or in special schools outside of the local authority area.