Foster Care Fortnight: Hundreds of children find new homes in East Sussex

Hundreds of children were being looked after by foster families in East Sussex last year, figures show, as an annual campaign to raise awareness of the value of fostering begins.

Each year, children's charity the Fostering Network organises Foster Care Fortnight, celebrating the work of the UK’s foster carers and raising the profile of fostering across the country.

Figures from the Department for Education show there were 426 fostered children in East Sussex at the end of March 2021 – down from 437 the year before.

Separate figures from Ofsted, which cover placements organised by local authority, show around 290 households offered to foster – including around 50 newly-approved households in the latest year.

Around a third of all fostering households in England are found by independent fostering agencies, which are not included in Ofsted's figures.

Children’s charities have used Foster Care Fortnight to talk about the positive impacts of fostering on both children and carers.

Andy Elvin, CEO of the Adolescent and Children’s Trust, an organisation which matches children with placements, said foster parents describe the experience as "incredibly rewarding."