According to local authority foster services in Wales, there is a huge demand for more foster carers in the country. Foster Wales, a network that represents fostering teams, has revealed that while there are over 7,000 children in the care system, there are only 3,800 foster families available. The network is hoping to challenge misconceptions and encourage people to register as foster carers in order to reach their target of recruiting 800 new households for the next two years.
The Welsh government has assured Foster Wales of their commitment to increase the number of registered foster carers. Figures from Foster Wales show that 53% of young people in care are aged 11 and over. The organisation aims to encourage people to foster teenagers and point out the misconception that only younger children are eligible for fostering.
Foster parents Emma and Joanna Johnston from Cross Hands, Carmarthenshire have shared their rewarding experience of fostering and how they have found it challenging yet worthwhile. They have fostered a 12-year-old girl and remarked on the need for more stability and love for children in care.
The head of Foster Wales, Alastair Cope, has stressed the importance of providing love and a stable home to children who may eventually return to living with their birth families or move on to a longer-term foster family. Mr Cope highlighted the need for more registered carers in light of the Welsh government’s plans to remove profit from anything related to children’s services by 2027. A spokesperson for the Welsh government has disclosed that they are collaborating with Foster Wales to ensure a consistent supply of well-supported, trained, diverse, and dedicated foster carers are available locally for children and young people
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