Need for more ‘under 5’ foster carers in Scotland
Does the need for more foster carers to care for babies and ‘under 5’ children in Scotland point to a reduced pool of foster carers, more children coming into care – or are there more complex reasons?
It is an expected scenario that very young children are usually placed with a local authority’s own foster carers, with older children, or those with more complex needs, being referred to independent fostering agencies. However, since January 2026, 41% of TACT’s referrals from across Scotland have been for children aged under five. This has represented a significant shift in the age bracket of children being referred externally to fostering agencies.
There could be many reasons for this, and it is difficult to pinpoint any single factor. Let’s look at two most likely causes, what can be done – and what needs to change.
General decrease in foster carers in Scotland
Whilst it is difficult to access up-to-date statistics from other organisations, Plan 24-30 reported that between 2019 and 2024 the number of registered fostering households decreased by 21.8% in Scotland. Reasons for this are not easily identifiable, but could point to foster carers naturally retiring from the sector versus a decline in the number of new fostering households coming forward. In addition, budgets for carer recruitment marketing campaigns could be squeezed, reducing the active push for new carers.
The number of children and young people requiring care also fell during this period, but the number of available foster carers declined at a faster rate.
A reduced pool of foster carers across Scottish local authorities will, of course, result in those referrals for very young children being pushed out to external agencies.
But there lies our next problem.
External fostering agency carers not prepared for ‘under 5’s’
Many independent fostering agencies recruit their foster carers based on the traditional construct of providing care for older children, with those solely wishing to care for under fives being signposted to their local authority.
The reason why some foster carers may not be able to provide care for younger children could be that it does not fit their current household composition, skill set or preference. They would also need to be approved by a fostering panel to provide care for that age group.
Fostering infants and toddlers presents different challenges from fostering older children, as carers must provide highly responsive care that meets young children’s developmental, emotional, and health needs during the very important stage of early growth.
If external agency foster carers are not prepared to provide matched foster care for under fives, because they were never expected to, this could create an impasse if local authorities don’t have enough foster carers generally.
What can Fostering Providers do?
As a fostering charity, TACT will always aim to prioritise certain foster carer recruitment based on a demand for a specific type of fostering per region, alongside a more general recruitment push.
As previously mentioned, a focus on recruiting carers to provide care for under fives would usually be off the table for independent fostering agencies – but it is clear that this is not the case in Scotland. Local authorities would need to prioritise their own recruitment strategies, of course. Independent fostering agencies based in, or covering Scotland, should not only formulate integrated carer recruitment marketing campaigns aimed at providing care for the under fives – they should be looking to nurture and upskill their current foster carers, where possible.
As a charitable fostering agency, TACT’s focus has always been on the wider care system and great outcomes for children, over and above profit or traditional business focuses. By actioning specific carer recruitment and nurturing strategies, the sector would be providing a workable plan to help create a natural influx of foster carers able to provide care for the under fives in Scotland; a ‘call to arms’ outside of any one organisations’ own interests.
What needs to change?
Moving forward, there does need to be a general change in the way local authorities approach the referral and matching process for under fives and, in fact, all young people.
Referrals should call on both in-house local authority carers and external agency carers simultaneously – with the ‘best match’ being the goal in every single scenario. If more external agencies were to receive referrals for very young children, they would adapt their recruitment strategies to match demand. As it stands, there is a potential block when it comes to recruiting carers for under fives, because these referrals are traditionally pushed to local authority carers first.
This has been an historic issue for many years, and it does need to change. With a level playing field, children will not only benefit from the best match across their local authority and external agencies, it will also help create a wider pool of skilled foster carers able to care for children of all ages.