A group of Nova Scotia foster parents are speaking out about the foster care system in the province, saying it is in crisis and needs an overhaul.

This comes after the news of a Nova Scotia teen being forced to return to the province despite being in a good home with family in Ontario.

On Wednesday, the Nova Scotia Department of Community Services told the family they will allow the boy to stay in Ontario.

But foster parents in Nova Scotia still say they have concerns.

“The issues around the kids are so complex,” says foster parent Maureen Wickwire. “We need the system and it does work but there are some problems with it.”

Maureen Wickwire and Heather Stewart have both welcomed more than 30 children into their homes. They’re now part of a group of 50 foster parents looking for support, and saying they don’t always get the support they need from the government.

“A lot of us are older. We're 40 plus. Some of us are in our 50s and 60s. We're getting ready to leave the system. There aren't as many new families coming on board as there should be,” says foster parent Heather Stewart.

With less than 600 foster parents currently in Nova Scotia, many agree there aren’t enough.

“I think there needs to be a whole revamping of policy. It needs to reflect today's society,” says Wickwire.

The group says reimbursements for children have hardly changed in 25 years.

“Can we hire a babysitter for $4 an hour? Can we raise a child for $17.50 a day?” says Wickwire.

Some of the foster parents recently met with Nova Scotia's Minister of Community Services. They say she told them they should educated the public about what they do so that there’s a better understanding when the time comes to make changes.

“We have been able to increase some resources for foster parents and for our children in care. It's been a gradual process. We hope it will continue,” says Janet Nearing of the provincial Department of Community Services.

The group wants to be clear that isn’t for money, and that it actually comes with a price tag.

“The complexity of the children has changed. We have a lot of children now coming in that have been born addicted to drugs. They have FASD, autism, complex trauma,” says Heather Stewart. “We only want what's best for the children.”

The group says they also don’t want to deter others from becoming foster parents. They just want a little more help.

“There's a lot of successes. When we see a family reunited, it's what we do it for,” says Wickwire.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kayla Hounsell.