Foster care system ‘reaching breaking point’ as demand outweighs capacity
Fiona Simpson
Thursday, November 11, 2021
Despite the number of foster carers in England being at the highest level on record, Ofsted has warned sector demand is outstripping capacity, leaving vulnerable children missing out on care.
Latest foster care figures, published by the inspectorate, show that the number of foster carers in England has increased by four per cent since 2014, while the number of children in foster care has increased by 11 per cent.
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While the number of fostering households and carers has gone up, Ofsted research suggests that the range of carers available aren’t always able to meet children’s increasingly complex needs.
“As the number of children in care continues to grow, matching them with the right carers becomes increasingly difficult. This makes it more likely that very vulnerable children will face placement breakdowns and further disruption to their lives,” Ofsted’s report states.
It also notes that the number of family and friends acting as foster carers is at its highest level since statistics were first published in 2014.
Foster care placements with family and friends made up 58 per cent of 8,880 new foster care households appointed during 2020 and 2021, Ofsted figures show.
However, Ofsted warns that: “These carers are a vital part of the system – but their impact on overall capacity is limited by the nature of their role.”
The report also shows that although record levels of enquiries were received from prospective fostering households last year, these aren’t translating into applications.
Of 160,000 initial enquiries from prospective fostering households, only around 10,000 resulted in applications – a decrease on previous years.
Yvette Stanley, Ofsted’s national director for social care, said: “These statistics paint a bleak picture. Foster carers make such a difference to children’s lives. But year on year we see more children coming into foster care, and too few carers with the right skills to give them the support they deserve. How long can this go on before the care system reaches breaking point?
“We rarely see children coming into care who don’t need to be, but with the right help earlier, some may be able to remain with their families. We also need to urgently boost the number of foster carers, making sure they, and the children they care for, get the right support.”
