Why Are More Foster Carers Needed?

As of March 2024, there were 57,065 approved foster carers in England. This may sound like a lot, but unfortunately, it still isn’t enough. In today’s blog, we’re looking at the reasons why this is the case, and answering the question, ‘Why are more foster carers needed?’

Reasons Why We Need More Foster Carers

Here are just some of the reasons why we need more potential foster carers to come forward.

More Children Than Carers

In England alone, there are over 83,000 children in care, and it’s estimated that the number of looked after children across the whole of the UK is around 107,000.

According to statistics from the NSPCC, this number has risen around 8% in the last five years. This means that higher numbers of children are coming into care, and since most of these children will go into foster care, there’s a greater demand for foster placements.

At the same time, fewer people are coming forward to become foster carers, leading to a shortfall.

Lack of Local Placements

With fewer foster families available, there can sometimes be a lack of suitable, local placements for a child coming into care. This can lead to children needing to be placed far away from their friends, family, school, college, community connections and support networks.

The removal of children out of area and away from everything they know can have significant, negative impacts, as set out in the Gone Too Far campaign led by care charity Become.

The 2024 Children in Care Report found that the rate of children in care is disproportionately higher in the North, with 93 out of every 10,000 children being in care, compared to 62 per 10,000 in the rest of England. In some areas and towns, this figure rises even higher, with Blackpool having the highest ratio of children in care across the whole of the UK. This means we especially need more foster carers in the North West.

Sibling Groups

Many children come into care as part of a larger sibling group. Independent fostering agencies and local authorities will always do their best to keep siblings together unless there are very good reasons to separate them.

This can mean that a foster family with multiple spare bedrooms might take on a sibling group and will then be unable to offer a home to any other children coming into care.

Changing Needs

Sometimes children need to stay in a placement longer than expected. It may be that a planned return home has to be delayed while support is put in place, or a child’s plan may change, so that a short-term placement becomes a long-term placement.

If a child has to stay in their placement longer than anticipated, it can prevent foster carers from being able to open up their home to another child waiting.

Carers Leaving

Some of the decline in foster families in the UK is a result of carers naturally coming to the end of their fostering journey, as they prepare for retirement. Alternatively, foster carers may move on to other employment or decide to take an extended break between placements.

Carers may also leave due to struggles such as lack of proper support or recognition or being unhappy with their chosen agency.

As carers step away from fostering, we need more foster carers to come forward to fill the gaps. We also need to do all we can to support foster carers so that they feel able to continue fostering, and get the recognition they deserve.

A Variety of Placements Needed

Having a larger pool of potential foster placements enables social workers to make better matches between an individual child’s needs and the carers that can best meet them. Whether that’s training for specific behaviours, an ability to meet a child’s medical needs, or proximity to a school, extended family, or therapeutic input, it’s important that the right match is found.

Social workers may also try to match a child with a certain type of placement, such as a busy, lively home with other children and pets. Or it may be that a child would benefit from a quieter placement and 1-2-1 care and attention.

The more foster carers are available, the easier it is to make a good match, which benefits carers as well as children.

Who Can Foster?

One of the reasons why potential carers might not come forward is because they believe that they wouldn’t be approved to foster. Many people mistakenly assume they’re too old to foster, that their home is too small, that they can’t foster with pets, or that they would have to give up work.

In reality, there are very few exclusions for foster carers. The only essential criteria to be considered as a foster carer is:

• You must be at least 21 years old and a permanent UK resident

• Be in good physical and mental health

• Have a safe, clean home with a spare bedroom

Of course, there are lots of other qualities that we look for in potential foster carers, such as being kind, patient and non-judgemental, but this is all something we can discuss with you in more detail when you enquire, and as part of the assessment process.

What Are the Benefits of Becoming a Foster Carer?

There are many advantages to fostering. Olive Branch foster carers benefit from an excellent program of training both pre and post approval, and ongoing 24/7 support, as well as generous financial allowances.

Our carers have the freedom to decide what type of fostering placements best suit their family and lifestyle, whether that’s short term placements, parent and child fostering or respite care. Foster carers can also choose if and when to take on another child or to have a break between placements as needed.

For many of our carers, fostering becomes their career, and can be an ideal next step for those working in sectors such as healthcare or education, who are looking for more freedom and flexibility along with a new challenge.

For empty nesters, fostering is an excellent way of making use of spare time, energy and bedrooms that are no longer needed for adult children who’ve moved away.

Above all, fostering a role like no other, and it can be incredibly rewarding, knowing you’re making a difference to the lives of vulnerable children in need.

Foster With Olive Branch

All across the North West, there are children waiting for safe, loving homes. So if you’re ready to find out more about becoming a foster carer, our friendly Olive Branch fostering advisors would love to hear from you! Give us a call today on 01706 558910 or book a call back for a time that suits you.