More foster carers are needed in Denbighshire

The county council has about 160 children in care and it needs another 15 families to help look after them.

Council leaders have agreed to spend an extra �300,000 on fostering allowances, giving increases of up to �20 a week for each child.

The authority also plans to introduce a new three tier pay structure, dependant on experience.

Along with most other local authorities in the UK, Denbighshire has difficulty in recruiting and retaining social workers, particularly in the area of childcare.

Our foster carers tell us that in Denbighshire the pay, support and involvement differs from their peers in other local authorities County councillor Mike German

The number of foster carers is also low which means that in some cases children being looked after have to stay outside their home area.

County councillor Michael German said: "In a critical number of areas, the quality of service causes us significant concerns."

"Nationally in the UK there is an enormous shortage of foster carers, for a number of reasons. Locally we have experienced recruitment and retention difficulties.

"Our foster carers tell us that in Denbighshire the pay, support and involvement differs from their peers in other local authorities. "

Councillor German said foster carers in Denbighshire have been "less well engaged, trained, supervised, and consequently more vulnerable to complaints or allegations being made against them".

He added: "Overall this has made this service area very vulnerable and potentially unattractive to new carers. Local carers have said that they would actively recruit friends if they felt more confident to do so."

Last year, the council recruited social workers from Canada to make up a shortfall.