Foster Care

(asked on 15th December 2014) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase the number of foster carers; and what recent estimate she has made of the number of foster carers required.


Answered by
Edward Timpson Portrait
Edward Timpson
This question was answered on 18th December 2014

Our evidence at national level suggests that there is no overall shortage of foster carers. However, some local authorities report local difficulties, including shortages of particular types of foster carer such as those able to accommodate sibling groups and children with complex needs and challenging behaviours.

The Government is investing £750,000, over the period 2013 -15, in an innovative programme to help local authorities and their partners address issues and barriers in recruiting the range of foster carers needed to meet the needs of all looked-after children.

The Government's wider programme of reform for fostering aims to further support effective recruitment and retention of foster carers through: improving the assessment and approval process for new foster carers, facilitating effective delegation of parenting decisions to foster carers, and awarding £90,000 to Research in Practice to develop training on foster care for social workers.

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