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Wales 'faces foster care crisis'

The charity Action for Children is warning that there could be a crisis in fostering here, with shortage of carers made worse by the fact that many people wrongly believe they are not eligible to foster.

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Charity: 'Myths are preventing people from fostering'

Action for Children has launched the 'Fostering Myth Busting Campaign' today, which aims to dispel the most common myths that prevent people from becoming foster carers.

The charity says it is surprised at the lack of understanding around foster caring in Wales, and that those myths are preventing people from finding out about fostering, and adding to the worsening foster care crisis in Wales.

With these myths preventing people from coming forward, and the public not knowing the true extent of just how many children are currently in care, we are on course for a crisis in Wales. There’s an urgent need to tackle these misconceptions to move children into loving homes so they have the stability they need.

With the UK’s population at an all-time high, sadly the number of children coming into care will continue to rise, and so will the need for carers.

It is estimated that it takes four years from someone thinking they would like to foster to actually picking up the phone and making their initial enquiry. Often the reason behind this delay is because of the misconceptions they have, and their fear of rejection. But this could be prevented by helping people to understand that, in the majority of cases, they can foster and have a lot to offer a young person in care.

– Jason Hughes, Practice Manager at Action for Children's Taith Newydd fostering service in Newport
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Wales 'faces foster care crisis'

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