At the time of the national Foster care stocktake charities and organisations – together with ‘stakeholders’ were asked to submit their views. There was much optimism and expectations were raised. This was followed by a general sense of disappointment – at least if the sentiments of the leading charity, The Fostering Network – were anything to go by. They have gone on record as seeing it as a “missed opportunity”. But as we have written in the past – a stocktake is exactly that: a snapshot. Such a title did not suggest; nor did it ever intend to suggest, new and radical solutions appropriate for the changing nature of fostering provision in this country. If it had been called

“A Fostering Stocktake: Planning for Change” – as a handy example, we might have been entitled to expect a great deal more – and many did. And this is precisely why it did not have such a title.

If this had been the case, it would have resulted in real political pressure.

Foster awareness of one important fact

At Rainbow, our passion is to secure the best outcomes in life for foster Children. And this depends upon their education. So for some considerable time, we have been – along with others – concerned about the fact just six per cent of young people with experience of the care system will go on to attend university compared with around fifty per cent of the general population. For this reason, we have concentrated upon repeating this one stark truth and unsatisfactory truth. This very general stocktake simply offered too many blind alleys and cul-de-sacs to get lost in. If there was a strong focus aimed at getting twenty-five per cent of children from the care system going on to higher education, it would still only be half – a statistic we should all still be uncomfortable with. The setting of such a goal to be accomplished over a specified time span would be enormously significant. Starting to make rapid progress would mean many; if not nearly all, of the issues affecting fostering would be being properly addressed. It would signify the existence of a coherent and effective strategy as distinct from the ‘conversation piece’ the stocktake proved to be. When the great majority of foster children are doing well and going on to higher education, we will know that all the elements in the system of fostering provision are working properly. We have different  government departments involved and the thinking is often not ‘joined up’. Perhaps the answer might be to create a Department for Efficacy to ensure that the whatever conclusions are reached and policies instituted will achieve the desired results.

This particular statistic is proving too hot to handle which explains why there is now lot of government activity. The fate of care leavers’ is being pushed up the agenda. Now the government is requesting that the universities work to improve the support they give to care leavers. And last week a new ‘Care Leaver Covenant’ was announced. What is concerning is that the government is approaching this at the wrong end of the process. Many foster children now need to recover first from their experiences, and then be shielded from the damaging effects of placement breakdowns. Only by living in secure, stable and loving environments can they begin to do well at school. And only then can they imagine that university is something they can aspire to.

Many children who have been in care feel stigmatised – another obvious brake on their aspirations. The simple truth is that there just has not been the support for young people leaving care who do actually progress to higher education. Some will arrive having had mental health issues and no experience of managing their finances. Aged eighteen, the support they did have will diminish. As Leeonnie Hayles, care leavers adviser at University of East London (UEL), stated:

“Children in care become care leavers at 18, and before that, they have a big package of support wrapped around them, which drops away.” And these children lack the financial safety net other children can rely on with their parents able to provide support.

More universities are signing up to the new Covenant – which is a positive step since there should now be better support available for these vulnerable young adults. More information and practical advice is available at the Office for Students (OfS) https://bit.ly/2E0U1YH

Rainbow foster carers build young people’s ambitions

At Rainbow we are an agency that works closely with our foster carers to stimulate the minds of the foster children they care for. Every year we run competitions and activities to ensure our children and young people have the chance to express their creativity and skills. From music workshops to reading and writing competitions, we place a strong emphasis on helping foster children to identify and realise their ambitions. This is central to our ethos. We want to attract people into fostering who will be ambitious for the children that they care for. Helping a youngster to make a success of their lives is a tremendously rewarding thing to do. 

We can guide you through the benefits of being a foster carer with Team Rainbow

Please contact Rainbow Fostering for more information if you have been considering foster care as a career. And are prepared to work to support a child’s education. Please feel free to take a look around the rest of our web site. We are always adding to the information provided so that an applicant will have a reasonable idea of what foster care involves. But nothing beats a good chat! We have recruitment officers who will be delighted to answer any questions you might have – as well as guide you through the process of becoming a foster carer. We hope to attract individuals who will high levels of dedication. Especially in relation to motivating the children they care for to do well at school. At Rainbow we are proud to say we have children who, with the love and support of their foster carers, have progressed on to higher education.

Contact us whenever you wish on 020 8427 3355/0330 311 2845 (our National Line). And again, you can discover more about becoming a foster carer with Rainbow at

https://bit.ly/2OkgCzS We are keen to speak to potential applicants in Manchester and Birmingham: you can visit https://bit.ly/2zdLb4G and https://bit.ly/2SyrFIU for more information.

Rainbow news about foster care and related issues at https://bit.ly/2kJHpsO

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