Independent Review of Children’s Social Care

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 4:12 pm on 23 May 2022.

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Photo of Kieran Mullan Kieran Mullan Conservative, Crewe and Nantwich 4:12, 23 May 2022

I enthusiastically welcome the report, and I thank Josh MacAlister for his work. I also give my sincere thanks to those with experience of care who contributed to it. It brought to my attention that of 160,000 people who registered an interest in fostering last year, only 2,000 were approved. That is an absolute tragedy for children in need of loving homes, but it is also a tragedy for the taxpayer. The Minister has talked reasonably about the need to divide issues into the things that he wants to take short-term steps on, and the things that will take longer, but can he assure us that on his immediate to-do list is ensuring that more people who want to foster get to do so in the short term?