An influx of new foster carers are urgently needed in England, research shows
New research has tragically uncovered that many more foster carers are need in this country following a net loss of 1,000 families in the past year.
Figures from the government have also discovered that foster placements occurring at least 20 miles outside county boundaries have increased by 20% since 2019. In addition, government figures also show there has been a 7% increase in the number of children in care since 2019 in England.
Against this backdrop, it is estimated that 6,000 new foster families were needed in England to meet increasing demand.
John Pearce, president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services, said: ‘We need a lot more foster carers. You used to be able to get a place quickly for younger children. But in significant parts of the country that’s not the case anymore, and that’s driven by a significant increase in the children coming into care.’
Research has found that in the past year, almost twice as many households quite mainstream fostering than joined. Some of the reasons for this include the rising cost of looking after children and older foster parents choosing to quit after the pandemic.
However, in an attempt to bring more foster carers into the sector, a spokesperson for the Department of Education said: ‘We are taking a wide range of action to support new and existing foster parents by raising financial allowances above inflation and reducing tax rates to ensure they have more money in their pocket.’
The government body is launching a new recruitment and retention programme, which is worth £27m. This already became available in the north-east in September as demand for carers soared. The programme is expected to spread to more than half of the country’s local authorities from next April.
In some areas this will be welcomed with open arms. A social worker from a team at Midlands council said that in the most urgent cases, where police have determined that a child must be immediately removed from their home for their safety. The worker said, ‘we often have mad scrambles to see if a foster carer can possible take another child or if a child has relatives.’
In addition, the recent news about Nottingham council issuing a section 114 notice has further highlighted problems within the social care sector. The leader of the local authority has said that demand for social care services have severely impacted their budget.
Image: 东旭 王
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