The number of UK carers has declined by 12% over the last 10 years, and yet the number of children needing care has risen. This has created a critical shortage.
The Numbers
Great Britain is home to almost 100,000 children who need care, but there are only 49,000 foster carers. The gap is particularly severe for adolescent children and bonded sibling groups. There are about 400,000 children in the social care system at any given time. To make matters worse, the foster workforce is ageing out of the market, widening the gap even more. Foster care in Wales is urgently needed as there are fewer than 4,000 homes offering foster care Wales.
Children in Foster Care Have Therapeutic Needs
Organisations such as https://saferfostering.org.uk/foster-care-wales/ are companies that offer a comprehensive therapeutic care via the foster care sector. This means foster parents need to attend therapeutic training consultations and development groups. Dedicated child support workers are, of course, involved in every case, but they can’t offer holistic care without the help of foster carers.
The Cost-of-Living Crisis Has Caused Downsizing
Post-pandemic households are downsizing at a massive rate, so many children have been moved back into institutional care. This is highly detrimental to their recoveries, causing trauma, abandonment issues and self-esteem problems. Stable homes have the power to improve many lives.
The UK government is hoping to recruit 10,000 new foster homes in the coming year by making the system easier to access. In the near future, carers will no longer be subject to some of the current constraints.
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