WE APPLAUD Yvonne Abraham in her efforts to speak out for foster parents. While she notes they “sure don’t do it for the money’’; it should not be forgotten that more and more is asked of them every year, as the state places children with more and more complex medical needs and behaviors in foster care. While these parents seem to be endlessly resilient, it is also true that it is becoming much more difficult to recruit and retain them. These are 24-hour jobs, as foster parents must be with the child at all times that they are not at school or at work. They receive a stipend to reimburse them for the expenses of raising foster children at about $2 an hour, a rate that has not gone up in a decade. The state, purportedly in compliance with the new Chapter 257 law, is about to recommend an increase of $0.94 - less than a 1 percent increase over 2004 rates - that is split with the sponsoring agency. These parents just want the chance to cover their costs. We understand the difficult circumstances that the Commonwealth is facing, but we ask that the rates for these services comply with the laws enacted to ensure that reasonable and fair rates be set for these services.
Maria Z. Mossaides
Cambridge
The writer is executive director of the Cambridge Family and Children’s Service, a nonprofit child welfare agency. 
