The Government’s long awaited fostering plan, which sets out ambitions to expand fostering for 10,000 more children by 2029, is a welcome and overdue step forward, according to The Fostering Network – the UK’s leading fostering charity. However, the plan contains a disappointing lack of focus on foster carer retention, which is essential for meaningful and sustainable foster care reform.
The Government formally unveiled Loving Homes for England’s Children today (Tuesday 3 February), against the backdrop of an increasingly stretched foster care system. Foster carers are experiencing rising levels of poor wellbeing due to insufficient support and not feeling valued, leading many to leave fostering altogether. This exodus has a direct impact on children and young people, often resulting in them being placed far from family and friends, separated from siblings, or, in some cases, moved into high cost residential children’s homes.
The Fostering Network estimates that England needs 5,000 additional foster carers this year alone to meet the needs of children and young people.
This is why the commitment to find foster families for 10,000 more children by 2029 is a welcome step forward – as the best place for a child is a loving and stable family home.
The charity is also pleased to see proposals for:
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A national recruitment campaign to encourage more people to consider fostering, especially from diverse backgrounds.
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Improved support for prospective foster carers from their first enquiry to final decision, as well as improved local networks and peer support once they become carers
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£8.9 million in funding for the Mockingbird Family Model, enabling more fostering households to benefit from its support structure, improving foster carer retention and stability for children.
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A foster carer register – a vital tool which will show local authorities all of the foster carers living in their area. This will help find the right homes for children and young people closer to their networks.
These are important changes The Fostering Network has long called for to improve the lives of foster carers and raise public awareness so more families consider fostering.
However, while the plan makes some positive commitments, it still lacks a strong focus on retention, in particular in tackling one of the core reasons foster carers are leaving the role – low and inconsistent finances. The Fostering Network is calling for urgent financial reform, including council tax exemption for all foster carers and the introduction of a national fee framework, to help standardise fees and allowances across the UK. Current finances for foster carers are too low and too inconsistent - foster carers must be adequately remunerated so they can meet the full costs of caring for a child without being left out of pocket.
We will continue to work with our foster carer and fostering service members to gather their views on the strategy and ensure they can fully contribute to the consultation.
Chief Executive of The Fostering Network, Sarah Thomas, said:
“We have been calling for a strategy that begins to address some of the entrenched challenges in foster care for a long time. It is always positive to see foster care given focus by the Government, however, we do have concerns about the direction of travel in parts of the strategy. Retaining foster carers is just as crucial as recruiting them, which is why the lack of equal emphasis on retention and financial support is so disappointing.
“Despite this, there are many positive steps forward within the proposals. We look forward to working with the fostering community and the Government to ensure that the voices of foster carers, children and young people are at the heart of any reforms.”
Notes for editors:
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About The Fostering Network
The Fostering Network is the UK’s leading fostering charity and membership organisation. We were founded 50 years ago by foster carers, for foster carers, and our access to governments and policy makers in all four nations of the United Kingdom gives us an unrivalled ability to lead the change necessary to make foster care the best it can be.
