Speaking at the Fostering Network's annual conference in October, children's minister Edward Timpson promised that foster care was a government priority. Earlier this month, he came good on that pledge when he unveiled plans to extend the foster care leaving age to 21.
Under current legislation, local authorities are required to only support foster parents until a child in their care turns 18, but Timpson has announced a £40m funding package that will support councils over the next three years towards the cost of the duty.
Timpson had previously written to local authorities asking them to extend their support on a voluntary basis, but figures from the Department for Education, published in September, showed that in 2012/13 only one in 20 care leavers were living with their former foster carers at the age of 19.
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