ALMOST half of all fostered teenagers and one in three five to 10-year-olds are living in their third family placement, a new survey has found.

The charity which commissioned the research said it reinforced the desperate need for more people to come forward to foster children, to avoid the frequent moves which can be highly damaging for children in care.

The Fostering Network, the UK's leading foster care charity, said that more carers would make it more likely children could find a stable placement that suited them.

The survey of Scottish foster carers found that 47 per cent of fostered teenagers are living with their third foster family since coming into care, while 14 per cent are are living with at least their fifth family, and one in 12 (eight per cent) have stayed with more than 10 different families.

Meanwhile 35 per cent of children aged five to 10 are currently living with their third family, and 28 per cent are with at least their fourth family in care.

The Fostering Network says being moved from home to home can have a hugely detrimental effect on children's education, wellbeing and ability to make and maintain relationships.

Difficulties finding suitable carers also mean children can be split up from brothers and sisters, or forced to live a long way from friends, family or their regular school.

But evidence shows that getting the right foster carer from the start can give children a stable foundation for a positive experience of childhood.

Carla, 23, was taken into care at the age of 12 and had around eight foster homes before moving in with the Randall family.

She said: "My most poignant memory of being in care is probably the first day I went to the Randalls' house. I compared the house to a palace and I literally jumped up and down when no one was looking. I can remember exactly what everyone was wearing, my foster mum's smile and what we had for dinner, which I was allowed to choose.

"My foster mum was kind and she knew I was scared. That night she came into my bedroom in the middle of the night where I lay on top of the bed awake and reassured me that I could get under the covers and make myself comfortable.

"It wasn't all rainbows and smiles, it took a lot of hard work and understanding on their part to make me feel secure and trust that things would work out.

"Looking back now I realised that the Randalls saved my life. I never understood the extent of the neglect and abuse I had endured until I came to live with a 'normal' loving family. They nurtured a young, angry, untrusting teenager to become a positive, empathetic and successful young woman."

The Fostering Network estimates 750 new foster carers are urgently needed across Scotland in 2015, to help cope with rising numbers of children coming into care. There is a particular need for more foster families willing to offer homes to siblings and disabled children.

Sara Lurie, director of The Fostering Network Scotland, said: "As each year passes, we see more and more children coming into care.

"We need people who can open their heart, and their homes, to vulnerable children and young people and use their skills to help support them to reach their full potential.

"In particular we need people who have the skills, patience and passion to look after teenagers who may have had a really tough time and be facing some real challenges, and to offer them love, stability and security.

"A good foster carer will believe in the ambition of the children in their care in the same way they'd believe in the ambition of their biological family members."

The survey, covering over 250 fostered children and young people in Scotland, marks the first day of the Fostering Network's annual Foster Care Fortnight.