What is Foster Care?
For some children, living at home with their birth families is not a safe option. There can be many reasons children find them selves in care, and fostering can provide a child or children with a safe and caring environment.
Whilst in some cases, Fostering is an option until the child is able to return to their families (Short Term Fostering), in some cases this is not an option and the Local Authority becomes the corporate parent. It then becomes the LA (Local Authorities) responsibility to provide a safe home for these children. This could be Long Term Fostering or Adoption.
Foster Carers are trained to look after vulnerable children who are in need of a safe place. This comes with the support of their Fostering Agency, Social Workers and Local Authority.
As of March 2020, there were over 58,000 children living in Foster Home placements. With only 44,500 registered foster families, every year there is a great demand to provide places for children who need them.