HUNDREDS of children were being looked after by foster families in Cumbria last year, figures show, as an annual campaign to raise awareness of the value of fostering begins.

Each year, children's charity the Fostering Network organises Foster Care Fortnight, celebrating the work of the UK’s foster carers and raising the profile of fostering across the country.

Figures from the Department for Education show there were 525 fostered children in Cumbria at the end of March 2021 – the highest number since 2015, when there were 541.

Separate figures from Ofsted, which cover placements organised by local authority, show around 285 households offered to foster – including around 80 newly-approved households in the latest year.

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Around a third of all fostering households in England are found by independent fostering agencies, which are not included in Ofsted's figures.

Children’s charities have used Foster Care Fortnight to talk about the positive impacts of fostering on both children and carers.

Andy Elvin, CEO of the Adolescent and Children’s Trust, an organisation which matches children with placements, said foster parents describe the experience as "incredibly rewarding."

But although there were more than 7,000 vacant places across England in March last year, including around 20 in Cumbria, Mr Elvin warns the charity has been struggling to find homes for teenagers in particular.

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