More than 1000 extra foster carers need to be found across Scotland in the next 12 months to avoid a crisis, a leading charity has warned.
More than 1000 extra foster carers need to be found across Scotland in the next 12 months to avoid a crisis, a leading charity has warned.
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Stephen naysmith
New figures, published today by the Fostering Network Scotland, reflect a combination of factors which are placing huge pressure on existing services, the umbrella body said.
These include the rising average age of Scotland's foster carers, and an increasing recognition that many children do better in a foster placement than in residential care. Social services are also often acting earlier to intervene where children may be unsafe – spurred by tragic cases such as the deaths of "Baby P", Peter Connelly, and Dundee toddler Brandon Muir.
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