1,300 foster families will be needed in the North-East this year

Barnardo’s estimates that 1,300 foster families will be needed in the North-East this year.

However, the charity only has a handful of carers on its books, while local authorities are also struggling to recruit volunteers.

Speaking on the first day of Barnardo’s Fostering and Adoption Week, the charity’s North-East director, Jonathan Ewen, said the Government must launch an urgent recruitment drive.

He said: “The huge shortfall of foster carers amounts to a crisis, as it is vital that stable and secure foster placements are available.

“The Government needs to urgently invest in a hard-hitting national recruitment drive for foster carers. It is past overdue.”

Mr Ewen said the rise in the number of care applications since the abuse death of Baby Peter, in London, showed an “encouraging change of awareness”

of child cruelty issues.

“We must continue to support social workers to intervene early when they feel a child is at risk,” he added.

A poll by Barnardo’s found that 80 per cent of people in the North-East have never considered fostering, and of the 20 per cent who had, none had looked into becoming a foster carer in any detail.

The survey also found that only one per cent of North-East participants had experience with fostering.

Mr Ewen said: “Barnardo’s North-East works very closely with its carers to identify the type of child best suited to them and their families.

“Short break carers are also in high demand.

Short break care entails opening up your home for as little as a few weekends a year.”

Darlington Borough Council said it also had a shortage of foster carers.

To find out more about fostering, contact Barnardo’s North-East family placement unit on 0191-492-9000 or visit barnardos.org.uk/fosteringandadoption Barnardo’s will run an informal fostering drop-in event at the Dolphin Centre, in Darlington, on Thursday, from 5pm to 8pm.

To discuss fostering with Darlington Borough Council, call 01325-388843.