Teenagers in foster care are moved too often, charity warns
Joe Lepper
Monday, June 1, 2015
Four in every 10 teenagers who are fostered are living with at least their third family while in care, it has emerged.
Figures collated by The Fostering Network based on a survey of 1,125 foster carers also show that one in four teenagers are living with at least their fourth family and around one is six is onto at least their fifth family.
The charity said moving young people from home to home is "hugely detrimental" to wellbeing and education.
The figures have been published to coincide with the start of the charity's Foster Care Fortnight campaign (which runs 1-14 June) to highlight how a shortage of carers is hindering efforts to match children with the right family.
The Fostering Network said more than 8,000 additional foster families are required to keep pace with demand.
The statistics show that younger children are also experiencing placement breakdowns, with one in three five- to 10-year-olds living with at least three foster families while in care.
One in five of this age group had lived with at least four foster families.
Fostering Network director Jackie Sanders said finding carers for teenagers is particularly hard as they are seen as a more challenging group.
“This means that if there is not a specialist carer for teenagers locally they are being placed many miles away,” she said.
“In some cases fostering services are encouraging their carers to take on teenagers, even if they might not want to look after this age group or feel they have the experience to support them.
“In some cases services have been successful in developing carers of younger children into carers for teenagers but we need more coming into foster care willing to look after teenagers.”
Sanders also urged fostering services to ensure they invest in support for foster carers of teenagers and said some are too swift to move a teenager from a placement “when there’s a bust up” instead of “working with the carer and child to work through it”.
She added: “What we are hearing is that in some areas, moving a child when there is a problem is seen as the easy option.”
The Fostering Network estimates at least 8,370 foster carers are needed this year alone to meet demand.
According to latest government figures three out of four children in the English care system are fostered.
The number of children in foster placements has risen by nine per cent over the last four years – faster than the rise in the overall number of children in care.
