People who’re single and renters banned from becoming a member of service in some areas
Councils that stop people fostering children because they are unmarried, not a homeowner or not working full time will be blocked from using old-fashioned and backward rules
Some councils stop people who don’t own a home from being foster carers(Image: Martin O’Callaghan)
Councils that stop people fostering children because they are unmarried, not a homeowner or not working full time will be blocked from using old-fashioned and backward rules.
A major shortage of foster carers in England is meaning vulnerable children are being placed far from home or diverted into residential care, where they often face struggles in school, health difficulties, and even exploitation or exposure to criminal activity.
Yet outdated rules at some councils mean adults are being blocked from becoming foster carers because they vape – or even because they have been to therapy.
The Department for Education (DfE) has vowed to update the rules and pledged to boost the number of foster carers by 10,000 by 2029.
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It also announced £88million to support foster carers and the network of frontline services that support them. DfE has launched a consultation on plans to expand foster carer recruitment and reform the fostering system.
As of March last year, there were 42,190 fostering households in England, a 7% decrease since 2021, official data released in November showed. Carer numbers have fallen by almost 12% over the past decade.
There are around 400,000 children in the social care system at any one time.
Care-experienced young people are a third less likely to achieve a grade four or above in English and maths and have a 62% higher risk of dying before age 75.
Children and Families Minister Josh MacAlister last night told The Mirror: “For too long, outdated assumptions have held people back. That you need to be married. Own your own home. Not work full-time.
“These rules don’t reflect modern Britain, and they don’t reflect what children actually need: stability, care and commitment.
“ We want to open fostering up to more diverse range of households, including people who may never have thought fostering was “for them”.
“That can be younger couples who aren’t married, single people with or without children of their own, or older empty nesters keen to make a difference and use their childcare experience for good.”
