51¹ú²úÊÓƵ

The foster care service requires "urgent action" to halt an impending crisis, according to research from the 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ of Luton. David Berridge, professor of child and family welfare, said that there are 20,000 foster carers looking after 32,000 children. His study, Foster Care: A Research Review, was commissioned by the Department of Health. Professor Berridge warns that the closure of residential children's homes, the low status of fostering, and a lack of research in the field, has contributed to "a crisis in the making". "There are signs that foster care is experiencing greater problems than previously," said Professor Berridge.