The government has launched a national recruitment campaign targeting adults in their 30s and 40s who may not have seriously considered fostering before. The move comes as the number of approved foster carers has fallen by 12 per cent since 2019, according to the Department for Education (DfE).
Declining numbers of foster carers
Fostering remains the primary form of care for looked-after children in England, children's charity Coram stated. Around 56,400 children are in foster care at any one time within a wider population of 81,770 looked-after children.
Coram warned that the number of fostering households is declining and foster carers are ageing. Compared to one in four five years ago, over one in three foster carers are now aged 60 or older. Children can end up in residential care if they are unable to be placed in foster care.
The DfE previously said that this 'costs local authorities significantly more than fostering' and can see children face difficulties with their education and even become victims of exploitation or be exposed to criminal activity.
Campaign targets potential carers
Describing the new national recruitment campaign as the first of its kind in England, the DfE said it will 'target adults in their 30s and 40s who have the values and capacity to foster but may never have seriously considered it'.
Through its research, which was carried out in July and published on Wednesday (October 14), Coram said there may be more interest in fostering than current recruitment figures imply. 7pc of 3,497 adults in England surveyed by YouGov for Coram said they would be fairly, very or definitely likely to foster.
1.1pc said they would definitely foster in future, which the charity said could equate to more than half a million adults in the general population.
Fostering changes lives
Coram chief executive Dame Carol Homden said: “We are hugely encouraged by today’s findings, which indicate a substantial pool of people who are open to becoming foster carers, and expressed helping vulnerable children and making a positive contribution to society as their strongest motivations to do so.
“The challenge now is how we build on this impetus, as the number of children and young people in care continues to grow, and we welcome the Government’s ambitious plans to recruit more foster carers.
“As part of this, as our findings show, we need to see a focus on targeting key areas and groups, availability of clear information, and practical support, to boost both recruitment and retention of foster carers.”
She added: “We look forward to working with the Government, local authorities and across the sector to deliver the bold change needed so we can best meet the needs of thousands of children and young people who need loving foster families now and in the future.”
On Tuesday (October 13), an event at 10 Downing Street saw foster carers, frontline workers and people with experience of care come together.
Children's Minister Josh MacAlister said: “Fostering changes lives, not just for the children who finally get the stability and love every child deserves, but for the carers themselves, who tell us it’s one of the most rewarding things they’ve ever done.
“Right now, thousands of children need that chance, and that’s exactly what our national campaign is about: cracking fostering open to ordinary people across England who have the values, the commitment, and the love to foster. This is part of a bigger reset of children’s social care, one that puts loving, stable relationships back at the heart of the system.”
