Drift and delay

Foster care is meant to be a system and a loving home that looks after and protects our most vulnerable children in society. However the system is not fit for purpose anymore or at least certainly not in my local authority. Eight years in foster care with permanence agreed six years ago yet children are stuck in limbo as their social worker had “no time” to write their reports due to constantly dealing with child protection concerns or overstretched due the the large caseload, “fostered children are safe” was what I was told and yes they are physically safe but not mentally safe and the system designed to protect them is now causing them more harm.

Social workers leaving due to burnout with nobody else available to pick up their cases children slip further in to the system without any progress. New social workers eventually get appointed but leave before they have even met the children they are meant to be supporting. How does this give the children in their care any chance of forming a relationship and be comfortable to tell their story.

Foster care in Scotland is broken!!