At first glance, latest Department for Education figures suggests there has been steady progress in the use of Staying Put arrangements over the past two years.
The proportion of care leavers aged 18 to 20 who remain living with their foster carer through the Staying Put scheme rose by 1.4 percentage points to 38 per cent across all ages in the year up to 31 March 2020, according to the DfE’s looked-after children data published in December (see graphics).
However, some care charities, while supporting the scheme, are not impressed by the increase. They say the levels of uptake are too low, blaming inadequate funding and bureaucratic procedures that deter foster carers from applying for it. They are calling for policymakers to tackle the barriers and to set ambitious targets to double the number of care leavers staying with foster carers within five years.
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