Foster care grants to be increased

Press, 19 May 1984, Page 2

Foster care grants to be increased

OLIVER RIDDELL,

in Wellington Increases in foster care allowances and' support grants were announced by the Minister of Social Welfare, Mr Young, at the Foster Care Federation conference. An “exceptional expendi- ■ ture” fund would be established to provide a flexible means for reimbursing foster parents for the kind of exceptional expenditure on foster children, such as orthodontic treatmemnt or music lessons. Also, a special fund would be set up to help meet the cost each year of Christmas and birthday presents. He said that any money spent on such presents now by foster parents had to be recovered from the recreation fund which was not adequate for the purpose. From now on, grants could be made twice a year to foster parents for birthday and Christmas presents at half the weekly board payments for a child. Allowances would also be increased, Mr Young said. The new rates would apply

from early July. The foster care allowance would replace the former board-pocket-money-inci-dentals rates, and the new allowance would acknowledge the wider responsibilities of foster parents. For a child aged four years or less, the payment would go up $2.75 a week to $35; for one between five and nine years, it would rise $9.25 a week to $43; for a young person aged between 10 and 13 years, it would rise $7.30 to $49; and for one aged 14 years or more, the rate would increase $10.35 a week to $55.

Mr Young said that these increases would also be passed on to family home foster parents, where the maximum standard board rate would be increased $10.35 a week to $55. The intensive foster care pilot schemes running in Christchurch and Auckland, would now become permanent programmes. These two programmes had led to a far higher placement success rate with very difficult children, he said, and would run for another two years before being examined.