Children and young people are at risk of increased instability, as new figures reveal hundreds more foster carers are urgently needed in Scotland.
New data from The Fostering Network shows that 300 additional foster carers are required to give children the safe, stable, and loving homes they need. This Foster Care Fortnight (11–24 May), the charity is calling on the Scottish Government to properly value foster care - before even more carers are lost.
The number of foster carers across Scotland has been falling since 2021 with a sharp 21% decline during this period, at the same time the number of children entering care has reduced at a much slower rate of 8% this means that we still do not have enough foster carers for every child who needs one
Foster carers report insufficient finances, inadequate support from fostering services, and a lack of respect from the wider team around the child - all of which are taking a serious toll on their wellbeing and contributing to carers leaving the role.
Angela O'Callaghan has been a foster carer in Scotland for 15 years, alongside her husband Steve. She says more needs to be done to recognise foster carers as highly skilled and on equal footing with other professionals in the child’s life.
She said: “We are professionals, in that we spend 24/7 with the children in our care. We know them better than anyone and have the lived experience. I would like to see that being valued more.
“Foster carers have vital skills, vital experience and vital knowledge. Often they are the first people children will trust, but this can sometimes be overlooked.”
The lack of support and recognition of foster carers’ skills has direct and damaging consequences for children and young people, who have already experienced significant trauma. Stability is essential for them to heal and thrive, yet declining numbers of foster carers mean this stability is increasingly out of reach.
Too often, children experience unplanned moves. Sometimes, they are moved far from their communities, or separated from their brothers and sisters - adding to the trauma they have already experienced.
Financial support is also critical to ensuring foster carers can continue in their role and provide everything the child needs whilst in their care. While all foster carers should receive an allowance and a fee, payments are often too low and inconsistent across Scotland.
Angela adds that fees and allowances given to foster carers often aren’t enough to sustain the current cost of living.
“You look at things like the price of holidays, presents for Christmas, activities, clothes for the young people – and you think the money we get as foster carers just isn’t anywhere near enough. We’re not in it for the money at all, but you want the children to have normal life experiences – and we’ve definitely been left out of pocket by these things.”
The recent passing of The Promise Act has been a major step forward for foster care in Scotland, introducing mandatory allowance increases in line with inflation each year and a pilot for a register for foster carers - which will help improve professional recognition of foster carers.
However, urgent government action is still needed to stabilise the fostering system and reduce the rate of foster carers leaving.
This Foster Care Fortnight, The Fostering Network is calling on the new Scottish Government to:
Prioritise improving foster care through the introduction of a new fostering strategy, which would take forward the key issues that were not included in the Promise Act.
This should place an equal focus on retaining existing foster carers, as well as recruiting new carers. It should also include clear plans to increase fees, introduce a national fee framework for foster carers, as well as wrap around support – so there’s always help on hand when needed.
Angela said: “We love fostering, and we want to do it for as long as we can – it can change your life and enhance your life. We need more foster carers, but we do need to feel more empowered.”
Sarah Thomas, Chief Executive of The Fostering Network, said:
“Foster Care Fortnight is an opportunity to say thank you to foster carers for their incredible dedication, while also calling on the Government for much needed change in the system.
“We welcome the recent passing of The Promise Act, which will see significant improvements for foster carers in Scotland, including allowance increases.
“However more needs to be done to ensure Scotland’s foster care system is sustainable. Hundreds more foster carers are needed across Scotland to meet the needs of children and young people.
“That’s why retention is just as important as recruitment. Urgent action is needed to protect and sustain the dedicated pool of foster carers we already have - because without them, recruitment efforts alone will not succeed.”
