Foster carers are a vital part of the children's social care sector. In the UK in 2017, 65,148 children were living with around 55,000 foster families. The Fostering Network estimates that fostering services need to recruit a further 8,100 foster families in the next 12 months. Foster carers can be employed by a local authority or by an independent fostering agency. Recent years have seen increased professionalisation of the role, alongside the creation of specialist fostering placements for particularly vulnerable children such as refugees, and specific roles such as therapeutic foster care.
Potential foster carers must undertake a pre-approval training course, such as The Skills to Foster, developed by The Fostering Network, covering issues such as valuing a young person's heritage and providing sensitive care.
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