A significant fall in the number of enquiries from prospective foster carers in the first few months of the Covid-19 pandemic has prompted one of the largest voluntary sector fostering agencies to warn of a potential shortage of placements in the coming months.
Figures published last month by Barnardo’s showed that it received 161 enquiries about fostering from 1 March to 23 April compared to 302 in the same eight-week period the year before – a fall of 47 per cent.
The charity says the drop – which takes in the first four weeks of the coronavirus lockdown – has been caused by the increased economic uncertainty created by the pandemic.
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