Croydon sees increase in enquiries from foster carers despite London-wide shortage

By Harrison Galliven, Local Democracy Reporter

Croydon council has seen an increase in enquiries from potential foster carers despite the current London-wide shortage.

The local authority said enquiries into fostering have seen a 72 per cent increase between 2023 and 2024. But the council said it must still recruit 20 new carers to meet demand.

As a result, the council is attempting to break down misconceptions around fostering and increase the support available to potential carers, without attempting to minimise the complexities of foster parenting.

“It’s something you have to have the heart for,” Angel, a youth worker who grew up in foster care said.

Speaking alongside one of her foster parents, Susan, Angel said: “You have to genuinely feel like you have the space, time, and mental capacity to also deal with the young people’s traumas and invest in them and treat them like your own.”

Susan, an early years specialist, explained the challenges that often face first-time foster parents.

She said: “The anxiety of what you’re presented with is a big one. Even if you’ve got years of experience and qualifications caring for a child in your home that has been through trauma is very different from working within a team setting.

“There is the shock of the practicality of it. The amount of shopping, washing and ironing you have to do.”

According to Angel, a stigma still exists around being a foster child in school.

She said: “When everyone found out in school I was bullied from Year 9 to about Year 11.

“I told one friend, who just told everyone. I got told ‘your mother doesn’t want you’, and ‘your family doesn’t want you’.

“I didn’t care, I’ve always had tough skin and that was just a scratch.”

Angel said she was supported at every point by staff at the school, who ensured that she was made to feel comfortable. She undertook therapy and boxing classes and eventually met other young people who had also been through fostering.

According to Croydon council, “round-the-clock support” is available for parents who decide to foster.

The spokeswoman said: “Our foster carers have a dedicated social worker, as well as out-of-hours support 24/7, 365 days a year.

“Croydon also has a dedicated therapeutic practitioner solely for our foster carers and their families, to help and support them in their role as a foster carer.”

The council also offers prospective foster parents up to £604 per week per child, as well as start-up grants, holiday, birthday and festival allowances.

The council has also created a network of ‘Foster Hubs,’ which group together four to six fostering households so they can share experiences and support one another.

Susan said this support changed the nature of fostering. She said: “They have in-house systemic trainers in Croydon now and therapists that have helped to understand what children have experienced and how trauma impacts them and us.”

Currently, about 500 children are living in foster homes in Croydon. The borough also has 149 fostering households, but officials insist this number must rise by at least 20 by the end of the financial year.

Croydon is taking part in the national Foster Care Fortnight event, which is in its second week. The event has seen the council hold a number of informational events designed to boost carer numbers.

A list of the Foster Care Fortnight events can be found here.

Pictured top: Angel said Susan was her favourite foster parent while she was in care (Picture: Harrison Galliven)