Diagrama FoundationThe decline in foster carers is due to many factors including the impact of the pandemic, the cost of living crisis, biological children staying at home for longer, spare rooms being used as home offices, changing family situations and retiring carers not being replaced by younger people.
Exclusive new polling of more than 4,000 adults for Barnardo’s showed that although nearly three quarters (73%) of adults in the UK were worried there are not enough foster carers, only 7% of those who are not currently approved carers would consider fostering a child within the next 10 years.
When asked why they wouldn’t consider becoming foster carers, 82% of over-55s thought they were “too old” – despite this being the average age of a Barnardo’s foster carer – while more than a third of 25- to 44-year-olds said they already have children or want children that are biologically connected to them instead (34%).
Others said they couldn’t afford it (15%) and they did not have suitable accommodation (19%).
In a recent article in The Guardian, Brenda Farrell, director of fostering and adoption at Barnardo’s, said they had worked with foster carers for over 150 years, but in 2025 they are doing this work against the backdrop of a very real crisis in our society.
She said, “Today thousands of children in care are waiting for safe, happy homes and there simply aren’t enough foster carers to accommodate them. This means these children may be placed in an environment which doesn’t meet their needs, and we know that they can feel as if they are being passed from pillar to post with their lives in a constant state of upheaval.”
She urged the government to launch a national campaign to recruit more foster carers, as well as tackling the “root causes of the record number of children going into the care system”, including through more investment in help for families before they reach crisis point to enable children to remain at home.
“We know it’s a big decision to become a foster carer, but with another child coming into the care system every 15 minutes, there’s no time to wait. Often children will tell you their foster carer changed their life,” she continued.
What is really good to hear, is that a Department for Education spokesperson said, “We are investing £15m to boost the number of foster carers next year, to generate hundreds of new foster placements and offer children a stable environment to grow up in. Foster carers play a hugely important role in the wider children’s social care system and will be at the heart of our thinking as we refocus the system to provide earlier support and greater stability for children.”
Kate Patel
Shortage of foster carers causing 'very real' UK crisis, Barnardo's warns - The Guardian - Tue 7 Jan 2025
