Children denied loving foster homes due to myths and fears around fostering

16 May 2011

Action for Children is calling on people to do something life-changing and foster a child, as Foster Care Fortnight launches today (Monday 16 May 2011). With the current shortage of over 10,000 foster carers in the UK, there is an urgent need for people to come forward to foster some of the most vulnerable and neglected children who cannot stay with their birth families.

To mark the start of the awareness campaign, children's charity Action for Children is launching research revealing the general public's misconceptions and fears around fostering.

The findings reveal that a quarter (26%) of all people say they would consider fostering, yet 59% of these people do not think, or know, if they are eligible to foster. This highlights a real need to increase understanding of fostering across society.

Over half (54%) of 45-54 year olds believe they are too old to be eligible to foster. Yet, not only is the life experience of people at this age invaluable, but in reality this is the most common time in life for people to foster – with the age of foster carers rising over the years, in 2009 the average female foster carer was 53, and the male foster carer 54.

Other reasons that have mistakenly led people to believe that they would not eligible to foster include: not having job security (8%), a lack of finances (7%) and being single (5%).

AskeD about the children they might consider fostering, more than one in four (27%) of those who would consider fostering stated that they would not foster a disabled child. This revelation casts a gloomy shadow over the prospects of a group of children who are over-represented in the care system, with estimates suggesting that one quarter of children in care have a disability, many of whom have multiple disabilities.

Hugh Thornbery, Director of Children's Services at Action for Children says, “So many people possess the skills and qualities to be great foster carers, and at a time when the care system is under severe strain due to a huge shortage of foster carers, we really urge people to consider fostering to help vulnerable children turn their lives around.

“Foster carers receive extensive training and ongoing support to meet the needs of the young people they foster, so they're really not alone, and recognised as a professional career, foster carers also receive a reasonable salary.”

Margaret Surgeon, 46, and her husband are foster carer to two girls with autism. She explains, “My husband and I are foster carers to two girls with autism. Caring for them and meeting their different needs due to their disabilities is intense, hard work, and demands a lot of energy and time. However, in return it's hugely rewarding seeing the girls flourish and reaching new milestones. I'm so glad that we've been able to give them an experience of family life.

"There are so many children with disabilities in care waiting to be fostered, and I really hope that others will consider fostering too as it can be such a positive experience for everyone involved.”

If you would like to find out more about Action for Children's fostering services please call 0845 200 5162or visit Action for Children's website.

With the theme of fostering: time to care,Foster Care Fortnight celebrates and promotes fostering across theUK, encouraging more people to consider a career in fostering. The campaign, co-ordinated by charity the Fostering Network, runs from Monday 16 May until Sunday 29 May.

Statistic from The Fostering Network http://www.fostering.net/

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