Wales needs more foster carers willing to take in parents and babies together. Here’s why.
Foster Wales is calling for more people in Wales to come forward as parent and child foster carers, saying demand for the specialist type of placement is rising while the number of available carers is not.
Between April 2024 and March 2025, 138 parents with their children needed to be brought into care together in Wales. Of those, 20 were placed with local authority foster carers.
A further 29 were placed with independent fostering agencies, often away from their local communities.
The remaining 74 were placed in residential care rather than a family home.
Parent and child fostering involves a foster carer welcoming a parent and their baby or young child into their home, supporting the parent to develop their parenting skills with the aim of the family living independently.
Lorraine and Paul, foster carers from Neath Port Talbot, have provided this type of care for 13 years. In that time, 20 parents have stayed at their home with their children. They also have eight adult children of their own.
Paul said the most frequent cases they support involve young mothers with babies.
“If mum was to come to us four to six weeks prior to birth, then we can do a lot of the work to build a relationship and trust,” he said. “Then when the baby is born, we can hit the ground running. We’ve got mum’s trust and she understands the process clearly. We’re going to work with them to create an environment where they can do good enough parenting.”
Paul said foster carers in this role receive support from a social worker and any other services a parent might need. He said the experience had also shaped how his own children see the world.
“Our children have grown up in a safe, loving, caring, happy environment,” he said. “So to be among children who have not had that kind of life has given them a much greater balanced view on life and a better understanding of other people.”
Alastair Cope, Head of Foster Wales, said the scheme gives young and vulnerable parents the chance to become capable, independent carers in a stable home setting.
“With those strong foundations in place we can prevent many cases of families breaking down in the first place, avoiding children being separated from their parents which can have a lifelong impact,” he said.
“We’re urging people who feel they could offer a safe, supportive home to come forward, with the right care and guidance, foster carers can make a life-changing difference by helping parents build the confidence and skills they need to care for their children independently.”
More information is available at the Foster Wales website.
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