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The recommended national minimum allowance rates for foster carers in England for 2016-17 published by the Department for Education show there will be no increase.

​Vicki Swain, campaigns manager at The Fostering Network said: 'We believe that no foster carer should be out of pocket as a result of fostering. These are minimum levels which means some foster carers, particularly those looking after children with disabilities, will have higher costs and allowances will need to reflect that.

“While we cannot expect dramatic and immediate change in educational outcomes for young people in care, it is positive to see a consistent improvement over time. There is clearly still a long way to go, but we know that being in foster care can improve educational outcomes; University of Oxford research (2015) showed that educational outcomes are higher for fostered children compared with those living on the edge of care.

The Reclaim Care digital platform, created as part of the Department for Education funded Inspiring Voices project, allows children, young people, and care leavers, to share their successes in the form of a meme and to upload it into the gallery of achievements.

Sara Lurie, director of The Fostering Network Scotland, said: ‘Scotland is taking a progressive stance when it comes to the higher education of care experienced young people, and we must say that this is a positive step in the right direction.

‘While over time more must be done to narrow the inequality gap in education between children in care and their peers at all levels of education, giving those children and young people a tangible and realistic goal to aim for will inspire many to go on to higher education.