Recruiting and Retaining Foster Carers: Implications of a Professional Service in Fife

Since 1990, all foster carers in Fife have been paid a professional fee plus maintenance allowances, and the fostering service has been managed by two specialist teams of social workers. Using findings from a recent survey of foster carers in the region, Donald Ramsay compares the characteristics of the carers with earlier British studies, and assesses the impact on turnover and recruitment of the financial and professional support they receive.