In Foster Care Fortnight, Clwyd West MS Darren Millar, is highlighting the vital role foster carers play in the community and the desperate need for more foster families in Wales.
Foster Care Fortnight is the UK’s biggest foster care awareness raising campaign, delivered by the leading fostering charity, The Fostering Network, from the 13 – 26 May.
The theme of Foster Care Fortnight 2024 is #FosteringMoments.
Currently, there are 100,437 children in care in the UK and three quarters live with foster families. Too often these children – approximately a third of children in care in Wales - must leave their local authority area because a placement cannot be found to look after them nearby.
Darren said:
“Foster care provides children with a safe, secure and nurturing family environment.
“There is an urgent need for more foster families across the UK to ensure that every child gets the care they need, and are well supported, within their community. In particular, foster families are needed who can support sibling groups, to ensure children can be cared for together and don’t lose their connections to their family.
“In March 2023, 7,210 children in Wales were looked after, a 12.5% increase from 6,405 five years ago in 2018. This includes 4,955 children in foster care in 2023, a 5.4% increase from 4,700 in 2018.
“While the number of children in care, including foster care, continues to increase in Wales, the number of fostering households is decreasing.
“The Fostering Network has calculated that approximately 400 more foster families are needed in Wales to provide care for children and young people in their communities.
“Just as no two children are the same, foster carers need to come from a variety of backgrounds and have different life experiences, skills and qualities to help meet the needs of children and young people in foster care. You can be a foster carer without having any specific qualifications, and you don't need to have children of your own. What's important is that you can support, nurture and care for children who cannot live with their own families.”
For more information on fostering visit Advice & Information | The Fostering Network
