Foster care attracts individuals from all kinds of backgrounds and cultures. We celebrate the fact our carers are strengthened by being part of our community. This means as their knowledge increases, so too does their confidence. This is important as it enables them to become strong advocates for the Children they look after. And hopefully, feel they can contribute to the wider fostering debate – especially at this time: pressures for change are mounting with another key Review underway. Thank you to our Foster carer Ishaan for the following contribution.

Foster care providers should remember that back in 2022; with much fanfare, launched a review of children’s social care in England. The goal: is to change a system the government itself admits has been failing children and young people. The sheer numbers entering care would strain any system. The Conservatives party’s 2019 election manifesto promised the review. Although social work leaders, foster care providers, and fostering charities were generally positive, certain fears were expressed: would it be sufficiently independent? And especially worrisome, would it look to dilute the longstanding safeguards and rights enshrined in the 1989 Children’s Act. 

Foster Care Review underway.

The Review is being led by Josh MacAlister the former chief executive of the organisation Frontline which speeded up the entry of graduates into social work. MacAlister had a wide remit: looking into fostering, kinship care, early years, care homes, and child protection. And significantly, the way families might receive additional support to prevent children from coming into care in the first place. 

 The stakes are, and remain, high. This was recognised by the then education secretary, Gavin Williamson:

“This review will be bold, wide-ranging, and will not shy away from exposing problems where they exist. It is part of the golden thread that runs through everything we are doing to level up society, especially for those who are too often forgotten or marginalised.”

Foster carers – many of whom feel their status needs to be enhanced – and fostering service providers with their own set of problems are all too aware change is needed. And many would argue long over-due. What cannot be disputed is the poor return on investment society is getting for the eye-watering sums spent on a system groaning under the weight of rising numbers and expectations. Consider: the chances of children who have been in care becoming homeless or ending up in prison are greater;  Over a third of care leavers are NEETs (Not in Education, Employment or Training) – compared with thirteen percent of all nineteen to twenty-one-year-olds; forty-three percent of all pupils continue to higher education by nineteen where only thirteen percent do. The Laming Review produced by the Prison Reform Trust as long ago as 2015 found children in care were six times more likely to be cautioned or convicted of a crime.

Spool forward to 2022 and the pressures on the system have only increased. It has been conjectured that by 2025 there could be as many as 100,000 children entering the care system. This is against a background of difficulties recruiting and retaining foster carers whilst experienced foster carers are retiring. Without some fresh thinking soon, the demand for foster carers will exceed the supply of foster carers needed. And this is not simply a numbers game. Sixty-five percent of children arriving in care now have experienced some form of abuse and or neglect. Their needs are complex and a high proportion requires skilled therapeutic support to recover from their experiences. Years ago it may have been enough for someone to be considered for fostering because they met the basic criteria of having a spare room. This is certainly not true now. Agencies and local authorities need applicants prepared to undergo training so they are able to respond therapeutically to support placements. Without these skills, the chances of placement breakdowns are high. This is the experience of a worrying number of foster children. And when this happens frequently they are deprived of stability severely limiting their educational prospects. And when placements break down, the confidence of foster carers is also impacted.

MacAlister himself is committed to change: 

“Deep down I think many of those working in the children’s social care system, and certainly many of those who have experience of it, know that radical change is needed. My commitment is that this review will deliver a wide-ranging plan to extend the joy, growth, and safety of childhood and the esteem, love, and security of family life to all children.”

The statistics already mentioned make it obvious ‘radical change’ is needed.  What is far less obvious will be what kind of change. And as far as recruiting new foster carers is concerned the situation is challenging for local authorities as well as fostering agencies. In England, there is currently a need for roughly 7,300 new foster families. This is at a time when the numbers of children and young people entering the care system have been steadily rising: in 2015, 69,000 children were cared for by local authorities in England – by 2020, the figure had risen to 80,080. And recent research commissioned by county councils indicates the number of children in care could be as high as 100,000 by 2025. The ongoing shortage of foster carers is against a background of more and more children and young people coming into care. The problem is made more difficult because as time goes on, experienced foster carers will be retiring. Now the majority of foster carers in England are over the age of fifty. As of 31st March 2020, of the 71,150 approved foster carers, sixty-five percent were over fifty and twenty-five percent were over sixty.

A priority now has to be the recruitment of younger people into fostering. A strategy will be needed to accomplish this – one which emphasizes the benefits a career as a foster carer offers.

Please note: these are personal opinions-names and pictures changed to protect privacy.

Over 21? Then consider a career as a foster carer with Rainbow.

Providing children and young people with the very best opportunities in life is what motivates everyone at Rainbow. Our foster carers are supported so they can work toward making this a reality. 

The support groups we have facilitate the sharing of knowledge across our fostering network. So anyone choosing to foster with Rainbow has access to considerable experience – as well as friendly support.

Rainbow is an agency that celebrates diversity and equality, we welcome applicants from all kinds of different backgrounds: single people, couples (married or living together), same-sex couples, as well as families with or without children of their own. And whatever your ethnicity, religion, or cultural background you will be a valued member of our Rainbow community of carers.

Rainbow is now actively looking to recruit in – 

#London #Birmingham #Manchester #Hampshire #luton #miltonkeynes 

And before you go…

We recommend the following blog on fostering as a single mum – 

http://rainbowfostering.co.uk/foster-care-and-being-assessed-as-a-single-mum/

Make sure you keep up with all the news that relates to fostering by visiting our news section – http://rainbowfostering.co.uk/news/

More information on the general aspects of fostering is available at –

https://www.gov.uk/becoming-foster-parent/types-of-foster-care

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