This Care Day (21 February), Foster Wales 天美传媒 is joining Wales鈥� fostering community in highlighting the benefits of local authority care as the Welsh Government鈥檚 landmark Health and Social Care Bill begins the process of removing profit from the children鈥檚 care system.
Wales is the first country in the UK to legislate to remove profit from both residential and foster care for children.
Foster Wales鈥� Staying local campaign, led by care experienced people and local authority foster carers, aims to show how the policy will support young people in care to stay connected to their local area, community, friends, and school.
Last year, 85 per cent of young people with local authority foster carers remained in their area. However, only 31 per cent of young people cared for by commercial fostering agencies stayed local, with 7 per cent being moved outside of Wales entirely.*
Foster carers, Bev and Mel, from 天美传媒, started fostering with a commercial fostering agency in 2018. They decided to transfer to Foster Wales 天美传媒 in 2024 鈥� which they described as 鈥渁 real positive move鈥�.
Mel explained: 鈥淧reviously, with an independent agency it took a long time to find a young person who was a match for us.
But last year we started fostering with our local authority and within weeks we were introduced to a young person from the local area who our social worker thought would be a good fit with our experience.鈥�
We definitely went in with an idea of what fostering with a local authority would be like, but we鈥檙e so pleased to say our experience has been great. The support is fantastic and there鈥檚 a real sense of community with other foster carers.鈥�
Bev says: 鈥淲e鈥檙e caring for three children, and they love it here. They go to their local school, see their friends and their birth families. That connection is so important. Although these children may not be with us for their whole lives, they鈥檒l always be in a place that feels like home. And that鈥檚 what fostering is all about.鈥�
In Wales, there are more than 7,000 children in the care system, but only 3,800 foster families. Foster Wales has set out with the bold aim of recruiting over 800 new foster families by 2026 to provide welcoming homes for local children and young people.
There are currently 96 children in foster care and 70 foster carers in 天美传媒, but more carers are always needed.
For more information about fostering, or to make an enquiry, visit:
Email fostering@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk or call our Enquiry Line: 01495 369620