Legal Guardian vs. Foster Parent benefits.

I have experienced being the Legal Guardian of one of my younger relatives a few years ago. What I discovered is that Social Service use the Legal Guardian's salary to determine eligibility for benefits for a child that is not yours, however a stranger can become a foster parent and get all kinds of benefits. I feel that it is counted against you if you are related and that they treat you like it's your obligation to take care of this child. I feel as a relative when you decide to seek legal guardianship, that we should be entitled to every benefit that the child will need. Basically for the first three years, I supported my little cousin off of credit cards only to accumulate debt. The first three years I received around $220.00 a month in which only covered after care.