Interestingly, there has been an increase in children being fostered by family and friends, with these households now comprising 19% of active fostering households, up from 16% in 2019.

Sariya Cheruvallil-Contractor from Coventry University has pointed out the acute shortage of foster carers among specific religious, cultural, and ethnic communities, urging for targeted recruitment efforts.

Polling by Barnardo's indicates that while 73% of UK adults are concerned about the shortage of foster carers, only 7% of those not currently fostering would consider it in the next decade.

This decline in foster carers has been linked to several factors, including the pandemic's impact, the ongoing cost of living crisis, and evolving family dynamics.

Many potential foster carers, particularly those aged 25 to 44, express a preference for fostering children with biological connections, with 34% citing this as a reason for their hesitance.

Additional barriers to fostering include affordability issues, which affect 15% of potential carers, and a lack of suitable accommodation, which impacts 19%.

Farrell emphasized the urgent need for foster carers, highlighting that thousands of children are currently waiting for safe and stable homes.

Currently, over 400,000 children, representing 3% of nearly 12 million in England, are in the social care system, with the number of children's homes increasing by 70% since 2014.

The UK is currently facing a fostering crisis, characterized by a decline in foster carers and a rising number of children entering care homes, as reported by Barnardo’s children's charity.

Among those reluctant to foster, a significant 82% of individuals over the age of 55 believe they are too old to take on the role, despite this being the average age of Barnardo's foster carers.

In response to the crisis, the Department for Education has announced a £15 million investment aimed at increasing the number of foster carers and creating hundreds of new placements for children.

Brenda Farrell of Barnardo's has called for a national campaign to recruit more foster carers and address the underlying causes that lead children into the care system.

The British Association for Social Workers has raised concerns that the shortage of foster carers is resulting in a greater reliance on profit-driven residential placements, which may compromise the support provided to children and families.