The pay freeze in Glasgow is pushing foster carers like me to breaking point

I am paid £150 per week to be on the job 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year – this has not changed in 13 years, writes Jacqueline McShane

‘Becoming a foster carer is a baptism of fire’ (AFP via Getty Images)

Being a foster carer is not the same as being a parent. You take in the most vulnerable children in our society with complex support needs that require specialist, round-the-clock care. But the work we do is so undervalued. Foster carers in Glasgow have seen a decade-long freeze on our pay and on childrens’ allowances and we have been pushed to breaking point.

As Glasgow City Council turns its attention to next year’s budget, we need them to remember our city’s most vulnerable children – and the people who care for them – and end the freeze.

I remember two young ones who didn’t even have the clothes on their back when they came to us. They were only wearing hospital scrubs because the clothes they had last worn had been ridden with lice. Glasgow City Council gave us just £100 to supply them with an entire wardrobe – underwear, nightwear, school uniform, shoes, trainers, gym kit, toys and books.