Families are the foundations of humanity. Families are where you learn rules, boundaries and structure. Where you can be safe to be vulnerable, and somewhere you can reach to for support. The world is made up of families. Rich families, poor families, happy families, estranged families, and families impacted by the care system. Each family, whether they know it or not, are impacted by the other, and from a financial viewpoint, everybody is impacted by the care system.
Thousands of children the England do not have a family structured to help them thrive. As a result, professionals step in to replicate this model, at a significant cost to the taxpayer. The average cost of a children's placement in England stands at over £6000 per week. That's over £300,000 a year. With over 83,000 children in care, if each of those were in a residential placement, that cost would be almost £25 billion a year. In reality, England spent £12 billion on Children's Social Care last year, with £2.4 billion of this on residential care for children in the foster system, which works out at roughly 8,000 children.
The foster care system is broken. Families are not able to open their doors fast enough to keep up with the flow of children coming into care. With increased diligence and mandated reporting and higher quality multi agency operations this will only continue to increase. If those 8000 children were offered family homes instead over residential placements, the cost to the taxpayer would have reduced by £2.16 billion.
Profiteering in Children's services is rampant. Labour's recent policy paper, "Keeping children safe, helping families thrive" is providing new powers and levels of scrutiny to combat private companies not acting in the best interest of the taxpayer. Accusations of many acting as "glorified babysitters" over actively supporting a child's development would be difficult to counteract. It is questionable why a private company would work towards a goal of an individual's independence, when a reliance on their service keeps them in business. Children's homes are often also unregulated, and staffed by agency workers who the children are unable to develop long term relationships with. They can be far away from communities and amenities, leading to isolation.
Living with a family offers significant advantages for a foster child compared to residing in a residential home. In a family setting, children experience the warmth, stability, and individualised attention that is often lacking in institutional environments. Family dynamics foster emotional bonds, allowing children to develop trust and a sense of belonging, which are crucial for their social and psychological development. Additionally, the day-to-day routines and interactions in a home provide opportunities for learning essential life skills and adapting to a nurturing environment, and the consistent support and encouragement can help them identify and achieve their goals. This familial atmosphere encourages the child to express themselves freely, build relationships, and feel valued, ultimately contributing to their overall well-being and growth in a way that a residential home may struggle to replicate.
Society would greatly benefit from all of these children feeling like, and knowing, they belong to a family.
Applying to be a foster carer takes 4-6 months, and families can receive training during and beyond this process in advanced child development, provided by highly experienced professionals and experts in their fields. They have access to 24/7 support from social services, and handsome financial benefits. Did you know that your tax free allowance would increase by over £19,000 a year? Most foster carers are able to stop working, or dedicate their time to pursuing educational and career related dreams that were otherwise financially unavailable to them.
So how do we advertise this as a workable opportunity to save significant sums of taxpayer money? How do we encourage families to open their minds and their homes to these children?
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