The Children’s Minister Edward Timpson has announced new funding to help promote foster caring.
Speaking at the National Fostering Agency Group’s annual conference in Coventry, The Minister said the government were putting up to £750,000 into supporting fostering services over the next two years to boost fostering locally.
Mr Timpson, whose parents were foster carers, said money will be given to three consortia of local authorities and independent fostering services to develop new ways of recruiting and retaining carers. The initiative will also focus on attracting a more diverse range of foster carers, including working professionals and those who can foster difficult to place sibling groups.
The Fostering Network, which organises Foster Care Fortnight, estimates that at least 9,000 new fostering families are needed in 2013 alone. Children with SEN and disabilities often have to wait substantially longer than average for suitable placements.
