FEWER households in Barnsley applied to provide foster care last year than before the pandemic, new figures show.

Ofsted data shows local authorities and independent fostering agencies across the country received 8,500 applications from prospective fostering households in the year to March, up from around 8,000 the previous year.

In Barnsley, ten households applied to the local authority to provide foster care in the same period, down from 15 before the pandemic.

Across England, the total number of approved foster care places managed by local authorities has fallen to the lowest level in five years, with 18,860 households providing 37,430 places as of March.

In Barnsley, there were 135 local authority-managed foster households, including 15 newly-approved ones.

Figures are rounded to the nearest five, while further households in the area may have applied and been approved through independent fostering agencies.

Sarah Thomas, chief executive of The Fostering Network, said the figures highlight ‘the immense pressure foster care is under’, warning this will have ‘a detrimental impact on children and families’.

“The fewer foster carers we have, the more children who may end up in residential care or in homes away from their families and friends,” she added.

“Action needs to be taken to make fostering more sustainable – we urgently need a UK-wide fostering strategy that addresses the retention of foster carers as much as recruitment.”

Nationally, 28,165 enquiries were made to local authority services, though just 3,020 applications were submitted.

In Barnsley, 50 households enquired about fostering between April and March.