Increase in number of children in foster care being blamed on recession

October 18, 2009 by Shawn Douglas
Filed under: News

The increase in the number of children in foster care in the UK has roots in both the “no-risk” policy of social workers and the stresses of poverty on families.

In the wake of the Baby P scandal, social workers in the U.K. are taking no risks with children in risk-assessed home. As more children are being taken in, the strains on the foster care system increase.

The U.K.’s largest foster care charity, The Adolescent and Children’s Trust (Tact), has seen the signs of this strain by looking at the number of referrals to foster care agencies, and Tact attributes a significant part of the increase on the economic recession.

“During a recession, we see unemployment rise and poverty increase,” said Kevin Williams, chief executive of Tact. “These structural issues will inevitably have an impact on family life. The pressures will cause people to behave in ways they normally would not.”

“For instance, they may be more likely to smack their children. Or it could exacerbate mental health issues and trigger drug and alcohol dependency, all of which have implications for child protection.”

Anthony Douglas, the chief executive of Cafcass, has also seen similar signs in his agency, one that protects the interests of children caught in family court proceedings.

“The recession partly explains the rise in private law cases Cafcass has seen in recent months. Separating couples have fewer options when money is tight, so tensions rise.”

The stresses on the system caused by the recent surge in children being taken in have also taken a toll on the children involved. Many are placed in short-term care situations while their parents are being risk assessed causing stress and confusion for the children.

“These pressures exacerbate the damage to these children,” Williams said. “They need long-term stable placements. If we move children around too much, we are storing up trouble for the future—they will end up in the youth justice system or homeless.”

Williams’ comments come on the heels of an announcement by Children’s Minister Delyth Morgan calling for more measures to put the focus directly on the children in foster care and more support by local authorities for those that provide foster care.

On September 27, Morgan stated: “We know that children entering the care system have had troubled childhoods and in many cases need additional support in every area of their lives.”

“We want the care system to be a positive experience for these children and are determined to do all we can to improve the stability for these children and to ensure, like their peers, that children in care have every opportunity to thrive and succeed.”

“Research we are publishing today shows us that children in stable, long-term placements achieve much more than children who have a series of temporary placements or whose placements breakdown. We therefore need to urgently address the issue of stability in the care system, the measures we are driving forward from today aim to do just that.”