Introduction
This paper sets out the government’s response to two reports into foster care: The Education Select Committee Inquiry into Fostering and the Foster Care in England report, an independent review commissioned by the Department for Education. The response describes the government’s vision for foster care and improvements for the system, based on the recommendations of the two reports.
Both reports state clearly that, for many children and young people, foster care provides the protective - and loving - environment that they need to develop and thrive. Sir Martin Narey and Mark Owers write:
The care system in England, in which fostering plays a predominant role, has an undeservedly poor reputation. The reality is that fostering is a success story.
In turn, the Education Select Committee (ESC) reported:
Phrases such as ‘languishing in care’ devalue and stigmatise children in care and those that work with them, while the overtly negative narrative implies that children in foster care are inevitably headed towards negative outcomes. It is widely held that a more positive narrative of the care system and the role of carers needs to be articulated by all agencies, including the Government. As Dave Hill stated, “we are not doing enough to talk about how foster caring is a great thing”.
The two reviews show, however, that not every child in foster care experiences or benefits from that environment and that there is more to be done to ensure every child in foster care benefits from stable, high quality care. This response states the government’s position on the issues highlighted by the two reviews, including where existing work is already in train, where we will take forward new action, and where we encourage other partners to act.
