Children and young people are at risk of increased instability, as new figures reveal hundreds more foster carers are urgently needed in Wales.
New data from The Fostering Network shows that 400 additional foster carers are required to give children the safe, stable, and loving homes they need. This is despite significant investment in recruitment from the Welsh Government, showing that more needs to be done to retain current foster carers.
This Foster Care Fortnight (11–24 May), the charity is calling on the Welsh Government to properly value foster care - before even more carers are lost.
The number of foster carers across Wales has been falling since 2021, while the number of children coming into care is increasing. Although the rate of decline has slowed in recent years, the system remains under significant strain. It is more critical than ever to retain current foster carers alongside recruiting new families.
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.
This lack of support 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, due to the lack of available fostering families, 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.
Foster carer, Mair Williams, says these issues are compounded by a disjointed system, which leads to inconsistent support for children and young people. This frequently leaves foster carers battling to secure the support children need, feeling isolated in their advocacy rather than supported as part of a coordinated team.
She said: “Services around children and young people are still too fragmented. Too often, trying to secure support or diagnoses for children with additional needs becomes a frustrating cycle of obstacles and delays. Foster carers shouldn’t have to fight so hard to get the right help in place.”
Mair adds: “What’s urgently needed is a truly joined-up system -where health, education, and social care work together seamlessly, with decisions centred on the individual needs of each child.”
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 differ across Wales. This Foster Care Fortnight, The Fostering Network is calling on the new Welsh Government to:
Prioritise improving foster care through the introduction of a new fostering strategy which places equal focus on retaining existing foster carers, as well as recruiting new carers. This should include urgent plans to increase financial remuneration for foster carers, as well as wrap around support – so there’s always help on hand when needed.
Introduce a register of foster carers in Wales, which was being explored by the previous Government. This would help improve professional recognition of foster carers, secure them as part of the team around the child, as well as provide a clearer picture of the foster carers available in each local area.
Director of The Fostering Network in Wales, Elizabeth Bryan, said:
“Foster Care Fortnight is an opportunity to say thank you to foster carers for the incredible work they do, while also calling on the Welsh Government for much needed change in the system.
“There is a focus on recruitment, which is important – but this is about far more than numbers. Children urgently need stability after experiencing significant trauma, and foster carers cannot provide that without proper support.
“Foster carers are reporting declining levels of wellbeing, forcing many to leave altogether. It is unacceptable that those delivering this vital public service do not feel valued or supported, often left to advocate alone rather than being backed by a strong team around the child.
“This is why we’re calling for a new fostering strategy in Wales that focuses on protecting and valuing the dedicated pool of foster carers we have – because without them, recruitment efforts alone will not succeed.”
