Pathway's Kelvyne Mills: Helping stretched service

Many other local authorities in Wales are also turning to private fostering agencies for help and are being forced to pay higher costs.

But the agencies defend their action because they "provide a high level of service".

The demise of residential care in Wales has meant the overwhelming majority of the 3,000 who were previously looked after in local authority homes are now placed with foster parents.

This latest appeal for more foster parents to come forward has been issued during National Foster Care Association (NFCA) fortnight.

Wales's second city, Swansea, is having trouble recruiting younger foster parents and is currently 10 short of the full complement of carers it needs.

An appeal is under way on behalf of the NFCA

Many other local authorities in Wales are also turning to private fostering agencies for help and are being forced to pay higher costs.

Swansea spends �0.5m a year on private foster care.

Andrew Vipond, who is in charge of fostering for the council, said he worried about the distances children were placed away from their original homes.

Swansea mother Linda Francis has fostered more than 200 children for the city council.

Private agency

She currently has two teenage girls in her care and because of her skills and experience she gets paid more than �200 a week for each.

She said she had never gone to a private agency.

"What people don't realise is that its not just a job that you do - its the support you get as well." said Ms Francis

However, Kelvyne Mills from the biggest independent fostering agency in Wales, Pathways, said agencies like his were just helping out a stretched system.

He admitted children were sometimes found carers far away from their local authority area, but said that the youngsters were provided with the same high level of care.