Deciding to foster is a huge decision and one that can be made harder by all sorts of myths and rumours that circulate, so let’s clear the air about some fostering facts and untruths.
Child numbers
Every day, there are over 64,000 children in foster care Cardiff and the rest of the UK. Helped by companies such as https://saferfostering.org.uk/foster-care-wales/cardiff, these children live with around 55,000 foster families and make up 80% of the 83,000 looked-after children in Britain.
Foster care shortfalls
At any time, there is around a 6,000 shortfall in placements for children and young people in the UK. This has been called a crisis in foster care by many professionals.
Who fosters?
All sorts of people can and do foster, including lone parents and those in same-sex relationships. The most common foster carer profile, however, is that of a woman aged between 45 and 55 who lives with a partner and doesn’t have any birth children at home.
Childhood issues
Fostering can be challenging, both for the children and the foster carers. Statistics reveal that young people in foster care placements are as much as seven times more prone to having depression and are five times more prone to anxiety.
Research has shown that siblings who are kept together in foster placements have a better chance of a successful future; however, it is a fact that one in five children who spend their lives in foster homes end up homeless at 18.
