We recently launched a survey, and have engaged in a number of ways, i.e. events, open days etc, with the public to understand the barriers currently facing fostering. We know foster care is reaching a crisis; we know retention of foster parents is decreasing and those entering care are increasing considerably. It simply isn’t enough to send out the same message that we need to recruit foster parents; although the need is desperate, it’s not telling us anything new. It’s time we start to understand how this situation has occurred. It’s important to understand why people aren’t fostering, whether they’ve never considered it as a career, why they might have considered it but decided not to go along with it, or why they have left fostering.

We opened our survey up to the public. Why not send solely to known foster parents and other professional across the sector? Because it would have limited our understanding. The whole point of the survey was to understand the barrier to fostering for all. We wanted to understand why more individuals or couples aren’t joining the sector just as much as to why they may be leaving it. We achieved a balanced result; 48% of those who took part in the survey had never fostered.

Do you currently, or have you ever, fostered? (evolve Therapeutic Children’s Services, September 2024)

Despite this, a staggering 91% said they had considered fostering.

Have you ever considered fostering?  (evolve Therapeutic Children’s Services, September 2024)

With so many social crises and day-to-day difficulties, you could be forgiven for thinking the needs of our looked after children and young people may have somehow slipped off the nation’s consciousness. But our poll suggests otherwise.  With our follow-up question- Before seeing this survey, did you know foster care is at breaking point?- it would appear the crisis is very much apparent, with nearly 78% of people voting yes.

Before seeing this survey, did you know foster care is at breaking point? (evolve Therapeutic Children’s Services, September 2024)

So then why aren’t people following through with their considerations? What’s preventing the 91% of those who have considered fostering to become only 51%? What’s stopping those 77% of people knowing there’s a crisis, helping us to do something about it?

The motivation to foster is there- the 91% of those who took part in our survey proves that. And for most, it’s the ability to support a child or young person that is the real motivator. 79% of people who completed the survey said their motivation for fostering would be to support children, and enable them a loving home, with other suggestions including financial advantages and personal experience as a motivator.

What would/does motivate you to foster? (evolve Therapeutic Children’s Services, September 2024)

Rather frustratingly, but not wholly unsurprising, understanding the barriers are harder to pinpoint, for the concerns to becoming a new foster parent, or continuing to foster are more varied, as the below charts explain.

What do you think are the barriers, or concerns, when becoming a new foster parent or continuing to foster?(evolve Therapeutic Children’s Services, September 2024)

The overwhelming finding is that our foster parents, or those looking to foster for the first time, do not believe they will receive significant support, leading them to feel undervalued in their role. When you look at the overarching theme of comments and responses, the overwhelming majority of participants concluded that foster parents are not recognised as professionals. Countless times participants presented their frustration and expressed the need for foster parents to have ‘employment rights’ that included a ‘proper wage’ with full benefits, including pension, sick and holiday pay, with financial concerns being the second biggest barrier to those considering fostering.  

It’s important to include that the ’other’ section included many other factors that were comments based on personal experiences that could not be quantified- from negative experiences with Local Authorities, Social Workers, lack of sufficient matching with those in their care and the system not putting children first, to name a few. Some went as far as to express their exasperation with the system, suggesting there are ‘too many barriers to list’ and claimed we need ‘a complete overhaul and reform of the fostering system.’

Whilst the results don’t make positive reading, at least we have the beginnings of how children’s services, local authorities and government can begin to make changes. But the underlying ethos that accompanied the survey is more concerning.

Our survey was primarily shared across social media. Now those of us that use social media, particularly running brand accounts, know you cannot, and will not, please everybody. We also know there are many a ‘keyboard warrior’ out there who post antagonising, completely clueless, and sometimes just plain stupid comments, to get a reaction. And although they are not worthy of a reaction, it was hard to ignore. Particularly when some of this negativity was provided by participants  who obviously had lived experience of the system or knew of someone who had.

‘Fostering services put enough barriers to fostering’, ‘all our systems are going to come under intolerable strain’ ‘the system is corrupt’ are just a few examples of multiple views held by those who saw our survey and those who participated. One even claimed’ where do you start?!’when listing barriers to fostering.  

Whilst all situations are of course subjective, the sheer number of negative comments was astounding. Thus it appears the social care sector is not currently considered one worthy, to many, of joining.

We’ve been working hard to work with others to change the common misconceptions of fostered children and young people as having trauma, through no fault of their own, to avoid them being labelled as ‘just naughty kids.’

But if this survey highlights one thing, it’s that we need to do better.

We need to change the misconceptions of children services, to assure not just those who we wish to work with, but the public as a whole, that the sector is doing everything we can for our children, young people, those looking after them and the wider team that supports them. We must continue to collaborate positively with Local Authorities, Schools, Government and the communities we are a part, to ensure that concerns are appropriately and reactively responded to, so that  we can make real positive change to the view of the sector in the public eye.