Latest Ofsted figures show that the number of foster carers in England has increased by four per cent since 2014, while there has been an 11 per cent rise in children in foster care.
The number of older children coming into care has risen since 2016, so it is unsurprising that half of foster carers that responded to the Fostering Network’s 2019 State of the Nation report said they had been asked to care for children outside of their age approval range.
The Fostering Network estimated that 8,600 foster carers would need to be recruited in 2021 to meet demand, but the Ofsted figures show there were 6,800 applications approved in 2020/21. It has warned that the figures reveal a system reaching “breaking point”, while the shortage is seeing councils offer incentive payments worth thousands of pounds to foster carers that sign up (see box).
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