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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent

Fostering in crisis: can flexible care models fix England’s child placement shortfall?

A foster mother and her teenage daughter laugh together on a sofa
The number of fostering households in England has dropped 10% since 2021, with over one in three foster carers now aged 60 or over. Photograph: Andor Bujdoso/Alamy

Viennetta Basterfield, 67, spent two decades fostering more than 100 children in her west London home before she and her husband handed in the reins during Covid.

Her own mother had died when she was nine and she was brought up by another woman who took her in. There was no doubt in her mind that she wanted to dedicate her life to passing that gift on to others.

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