Foster family shortage in southwest increases residential care placements
A shortage of foster families in the southwest of England is leading to more children being placed in residential care, according to a report.
How it was covered
- BBC One was the only channel found covering it.
- Channel 5, BBC News, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News, ITV and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
A shortage of foster families in the southwest of England is leading to more children being placed in residential care, according to a report. The number of foster families across the region has fallen by 14 percent over the past five years. In Gloucestershire alone, the total dropped from 338 to 320, a decline of 5 percent. This has meant that more than 50 fewer children in care have been able to live in family settings rather than in children's homes.
One care leaver from Stonehouse, Adam, entered the care system at age four and struggled with severe PTSD and anger issues. He said his life was saved at 12 by his foster parents, David and Sabrina. "If I didn't have them, I would probably have gone down a dark path of addiction. Maybe fighting more. I had severe anger problems where I was in fights every day. It probably would have got along the lines where I would have been put in prison for punching the wrong person," he said.
David and Sabrina, who fostered Adam through the Stonehouse-based service Foster Plus, described his transformation. "When he came, he was really shy and we would suggest doing something and he would say 'I can't'. We don't do 'I can't'. So on principle if you said 'I can't' we'd go and do it, and now he'll have a crack at anything," they said.
Gloucestershire County Council is now encouraging more people to open their homes. A council spokesperson said: "We are looking for people who have got that capacity to really care and love a child in their own home. And I don't think there's any more you can give. You know, I've worked in this sector for 25 years and a lot of people work really hard, but I don't think people can give any more than inviting a child into their own home."
Adam now has a permanent home and family. "We didn't have him growing up in the early years, but he's one of us. And that will always be the case, even when he's moved on, married, got his own family, whatever. He will be one of us," his foster parents said.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Foster family numbers in the southwest have declined by 14% over five years, with a 5% drop in Gloucestershire, resulting in over 50 fewer children placed in family settings. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The report focused on the human impact of the foster family shortage, using a personal case study of a care leaver named Adam to illustrate the transformative power of fostering. It included specific regional data (14% drop across the southwest, 5% drop in Gloucestershire) and a direct appeal from a council worker. The tone was sympathetic and informative, highlighting both the problem and a positive example.
- “If I didn't have them I would I probably would have gone down a dark path of addiction Maybe fighting more I had severe anger problems where I was in fights every day It probably would have got along the lines where I would have been put in prison for punching the wrong person”
- “We are looking for people who have got that capacity to really care and love a child in their own home And I don't think there's any more you can give You know, I've worked in this sector for 25 years and a lot of people work really hard But I don't think people can give any more than inviting a child into their own home”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.