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Foster care system needs radical overhaul, says BAAF

Issued: 19 May 04

Leading childcare charity the British Association for Adoption & Fostering (BAAF) today launched an action plan to overhaul radically the UK's foster care system. The charity says the current system is failing children and that significant changes are urgently needed. The action plan was launched at a national conference on the future of fostering services.

Almost 50,000 children in the UK live with foster families, but there is a chronic shortage of foster carers and 8,000 more are needed. Foster care has largely been seen as a volunteer service but with increasing numbers of adults in paid employment, fostering a child without earning a decent wage is no longer a viable option.

Felicity Collier, BAAF's chief executive says:

“The current shortage of foster carers means that children in crisis are all too often placed in any free bed, rather than with the most suitable foster family. Many children are placed miles away from their friends, family and school, and separated from their brothers and sisters. If these children are going to have the same opportunities in life as other children then we need to invest in a foster care service fit for the 21st century. Foster carers must be skilled, supported and valued.”

The charity's action plan Skills protect - the strategic development of foster care calls for:

• A guaranteed minimum fostering allowance to cover the full cost of caring for a child.
• A decent wage for foster carers to make foster care a viable alternative to paid employment.
• A structured training programme, including access to qualifications, to equip foster carers to care for children who have often experienced trauma and neglect.
• A full range of support services for foster carers and the opportunity to work in partnership with other childcare professionals.

Ends

Contact:

Lucy Handford, Media Assistant, 020 7593 2054

Note

1. The British Association for Adoption & Fostering (BAAF) is the UK's leading adoption and fostering charity.