Books, booklets & multimedia

The Cost of Foster Care, Investing in our children's futures

	BAAF, May 2005 ISBN 978-1-903699-76-8

There are currently many concerns about the shortage of foster carers, the number of moves experienced by children in public care, and their poor educational achievements and life chances. This campaigning report, from the Fostering Network and BAAF, assesses the expenditure that is required to transform foster care services across the UK, in order to give children in public care the same opportunities to have a successful future as other children.

The Fostering Network and BAAF worked with six local authority/health board fostering services and three independent fostering providers (IFPs) to develop a model for calculating the funding required for a properly resourced foster care service, based on assumptions about the minimum fostering allowance, the need for foster care training, and the investment needed to improve educational and health outcomes for fostered children. The report makes the case for planned long-term new investment in foster care, concluding that there is an overwhelming need to do better for children in public care.