"The placement can be heartbreaking. Sometimes I sat down and cried "| Society

For Afia Choudhury, foster care is a vocation. The former youth host, who has hosted 27 children for London's Tower Hamlets for the past 14 years, recently received the Fostering Network Chair's Award for her contribution to care. "I love what I do," she said. "I came in with my eyes open. But I do not think most people realize how much family caregivers work hard for the allowance we receive. "

The underreported pressures and frustrations of British host families are outlined in a report from the Fostering Network, seen by the Observer, which portrays a sector at the edge of the crisis and warns that unless conditions for caregivers improve, some of the most vulnerable children may pay the price.

The report on the state of the nation's hostels revealed that although 58% of caregivers feel treated as an equal and valued member of the team by the Social worker of their child's home, a quarter were not sure of the daily decisions that they had to make. and many of them did not feel empowered to make the decisions that had been delegated to them.

None of these findings will surprise Choudhury, a dedicated caregiver who recognizes that the foster care system is flawed. "It's a very difficult job to do in difficult circumstances. There were times when I sat down and cried, "she said.

Choudhury, 51, has housed three siblings aged 8 and 13 – who had been severely neglected – over the past seven years. "They had several health problems as a result, so we were often in the hospital and at the general practitioner's clinic. I do not live in Tower Hamlets, so there were a lot of trips around London so kids could get in touch with their families, "she said.

Choudhury has taken out a loan of £ 47,000 for the conversion of a loft in order to offer a home to three siblings. She said she had received an excellent training from Tower Hamlets but that many other caregivers across the country were struggling to get the training they needed. "When children make a revelation about abuse [they have suffered in the past], it's heartbreaking. We need support, not only from 9 am to 5 pm, but also outside working hours. "

There are signs that there is pressure on foster care. The report found that only 41% of caregivers planned to continue to work as long as they could.

The Labor Party estimates that the sector is facing a deficit of about 8,000 people. "Ministers have been warned many times that caregivers feel undervalued and are receiving benefits that do not represent the cost of child care," said Emma Lewell-Buck, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. shade for children and families. "Every day, more and more children are taken care of, it is urgent to act to support these children and those who take care of them. The next Labor government will hold a review on the creation of a national foster care service. "

The change will not happen soon enough for Rosanna Miles (fictitious name), a retired teacher who has welcomed 15 children over the last 14 years. "The allowance I have, which is £ 2.50 an hour – is not enough to cover the expenses of the children I have kept, do not make me pay a salary," he said. she said.

According to Miles, foster care is underestimated by social workers. "Social workers are so poorly paid that the good – the experienced – want to be promoted and become managers," she said. "All you have left are young, inexperienced people who make decisions. Sometimes the needs of children are not sufficiently taken into account when they are transferred to a new workplace. No matter what you say as a foster parent, this is not respected. Two of the kids that I have so often fed miss me, it's really hard for me to look at their faces in photos. "

Encouraging, says Miles, could be "incredibly painful". "The children in foster care who are being cared for are now in a much worse state than before," she added. "Austerity cuts prevent some parents from feeding their children. A 21-month-old child came to see us. He went to the garbage cans to fetch food and gather crumbs on the floor. Others come from very careless and abusive families.

"It's not just about providing food, shelter, and clothes, but they'll come with nothing more." They have to do a lot of work to help them get through what they've been through. . My husband and I have said many times, "I will never go again".